Bonds
by Obnoxious Unicorn
Summary: Mina Euphoria was just seven when she met him, when she met the Pokemon that would change her life. She attends a boarding school in Unova and meets new friends and new enemies, leading her on a journey of self discovery with life changing decisions that must be made along the way. Will she accept her fate in the end or will she go against the will of Arceus himself?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first ever Pokemon fanciction so Ihope it doesn't disappoint. I am writing this on my iPod and uploading it using my wifi so I'm not sure how frequently I'll be updating. Again, this is from my iPod do of there are any mistakes, I apologise. Chapters will get longer and the other main character (obviously you know who that is or you wouldn't even be reading this story) will be introduced in the next chapter. This story will include some important characters from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, HeartGold/SoulSilver and Black/White. There will be violence and bad language in later chapters but no major sexual references of any kind. Reviews are always appreciated and if you have any suggestions, complaints or anything of the sort, just let me know in either a review or PM. Thank you of you are taking thetonne to read my story, I appreciate your time. **

…

"Mina! Mina wake up!" I roused at the sound of my mothers voice from downstairs.

I groaned in protest but that only made my mother repeat herself.

"I'm coming!" I shouted. Even though I was only seven, I still hated being woken up. I groggily dragged myself out of the bed and washed before going back to my room and putting on my red favourite red dress. I then ran down the stairs for my mother to do my hair only to find breakfast ready on the table.

"Mina, you need to take these potions to Grandma's house. Her Flaffy is ill again," my mum sighed. A couple of weeks ago, she had broken her leg while running an errand for Professor Rowan in Jubilife City do now I had taken the responsibility of doing the house work.

"Mummy, I could have made breakfast!" I said, worried that she had over exerted herself. She just chuckled.

"You're still a little girl, Mina. I think I can handle cooking breakfast," my mum laughed. I ate my pancakes while they were still hit before moving over to the sofa for my mother to braid my hair. She put my fire red locks in its usual style, a long plait down my back tied with a red ribbon. She handed me the potions in a bag before kissing me goodbye. My grandmother lived in Snowpoint City so I had to go to Canalave City to get a boat. My mother was a friend of telnet sailor so he didn't mind taking me there. I said goodbye before walking out of the house with my satchel.

We lived in Sandgem Town by the sea so life was always quiet and peaceful. I had no complaints, of course but I did wish that I could have some sort of adventure. Really, that was why I loved doing errands like this for my mother because even if they were short, I could pretend that I was on some sort of adventure. I skipped my way to Jubilife City, smiling at every trainer I passed.

When I reached the city, I slowed to a walk, admiring the huge buildings and the busy streets. I had been to Jubilife City many times before so I was eager to get to Canalave. Although I had been there also, there was something about the port city that I loved. I was ecstatic about going to Snowpoint though, since it was so far away, I had hardly ever been except to see my grandmother.

Unable to control my excitement any more, I broken out into a run towards the outskirts of the city, reaching it after a good few minutes.

I passed through the city entrance and found myself looking out at a vast expanse of water.

'_Oh! Mummy, you forgot to tell me that I would need Pokemon with me!'_I thought. I looked for a way around the lake but there was none visible. Walking out onto a small pier, I spotted a fisherman. Walking up to the man, I said, "Excuse me, mister, is there anyway for me to go around the water without a Pokemon?"

The man turned and smiled.

"Sorry, kiddo, you can't get around it at all. The only way to the other side is to use a Pokemon with the move Surf," he said with an apologetic smile.

"Oh… o-okay…" I said. I was disgruntled by the fact that I would have to go all the way home just to get some Pokemon from my mother.

I was about to turn back when the fisherman said, "If you want a ride, I can use my Gyarados to get you across."

My face broke with a broad grin at his words.

"Really? That would be great!" I exclaimed.

The man pulled out a Pokeball and clicked the button, releasing the huge sea-serpent like Pokemon into the water. The Gyarados roared before turning to face its trainer.

"Hey, can you give us a lift to the other side? This little girl need to get to Canalave," the fisherman said. Bowing its head, the colossal Pokemon allowed us to climb on its neck. Carefully, more carefully than I thought possible for a Gyarados, it swam across the lake.

We reached the bank in no time and the Pokemon lowered its body to let my get off. The fisherman gave me a hand before waving and making his way back.

"Thanks mister!" I shouted at the man. I waved back before turning to make my way to Canalave. The walk Tibet city entrance was a short one and I was challenges by many Youngsters to a Pokemon battle but when the saw I wasn't a trainer, they let me pass, albeit a little disappointed.

Canalave city was just as I remembered it. Busy yet peaceful, large yet spacious, this city was a place that I loved. I slowed my pace to a stroll as I took in my surroundings. The people were so friendly, smiling if they saw me and asking if I was lost. After a while, I came to the sailor's small dock, smiling to myself when I saw my mothers friend.

"Hi there! I'm here to go to Snowpoint city! My mummy said you could give me a lift?" I grinned and the man beckoned me over as he climbed on to his boat.

"So, Mina, how is you're mum? I hear she broke her leg?" the sailor said.

"Yeah, an excited Combee smelt the honey on her bag and started to chase her. She ran away but fell somewhere. The Combee realised she was hurt an helped her to Jubilife. The Pokemon stayed with her you know? They're real good friends now!" I shouted, ending the story on a happier note as we pulled out of the harbour and into the open waters.

We were in silence for some time until an island came into view. It was a single mountain towering above the ocean and piercing the clouds.

"What's that?" I asked the sailor.

"That's Iron Island, where trainers go to get tougher and to train their Pokemon up," he answered.

"Wow! That's really cool! When I'm bigger, I want to be a trainer and go there! I want to beat all the Gym Leaders and go to Victory Road and beat the Elite Four and even the Champion!" I exclaimed all in one breath.

The sailor chuckled.

"Really? Well, I look forward to sailing to to Iron Island then!" he replied.

There was silence for another few minutes until The sky began to grow dark. I frowned and tries to invite it, but I helped in surprise when the first thunderclap reverberated through the air.

"Mina, get downstairs! This is gonna get rough!" the sailor yelled. I didn't hesitate to crawl below deck and sit on the small sofa in the corner. I shook with fear as the thunder grew louder and the waves began crashing against the side of the boat with terrifying force. I heard a cry of pain from upstairs and I ran back up, only to freeze in horror at the sight before me.

The sailor had hit his head on the banister and was bleeding slightly from a gash on his temple I ran over to help him, trying not to fall as the boat violently swayed.

"It's not safe up here! Get back downstairs!" he said. Although his tone was sharp, the concern and fear in his eyes showed that he meant well.

"B-but you're hurt!" I shouted.

"I'll be fine, just, please, get back down there!" he shouted. I nodded and began to stumble back to the stairs when I froze. A assive wave was coming towards the boat. Within seconds, it had crashed down on the deck. The sailor had managed to grab hold of the railing in time but I wasn't strong enough to resist the force of the water. It pulled me with it, back into the depths of the ocean.

I surfaced. I coughed and spluttered, putting my swimming lessons to good use.

Another wave.

I was back under.

I resurfaced. The boat was nowhere in sight.

Another wave.

Under the water again.

Resurfacing again. Coughing.

Dying.

The end was really there.

Another wave. I let it take me away.

…

My chest and throat was on fire and my head was spinning. Somehow I felt weightless, like I was… flying. I opened my eyes a crack to see an ice blue eye staring ahead of us, the other one obscured by white hair. The last thing I could comprehend before falling back unconscious was the pair of arms holding me tightly.


	2. Chapter 2

The throbbing in my head was there again. Opening my eyes a crack, I saw the Pokemon again. This time, I could tell that I was flying from the wind on my wet clothes, making me shiver. I shifted slightly and the Pokemon noticed, causing it to stop and look down at me.

_**'You are awake,**_' it said. The Pokemon was speaking to me. The Pokemon was speaking to me in my head. My eyes widened. I looked over to my other side and felt my jaw go slack before I screamed at the top of my lungs. We were over a thousand feet in the air, hovering over the stormy ocean. Panicking, I curled up the other way, burying myself in the Pokemon's chest.

_**'You are scared?'**_ It asked.

"I-I don't like heights," I mumbled. A sudden wave of confusiion washed over me and it took me a moment to realise that the emotion wasn't mine, but the Pokemon's and somewhow, it was managing to project those feelings on to me.

_**'You are not scared of me?'**_ It asked. I frowned, even though I knew it couldn't see it.

"N-No," I stuttered.

There was a long pause, the only sound being the stormy sea below us and the odd thunderclap in the distance, making me flinch each time and curl into a ball.

_**'Where do you live?'**_ It finally asked.

"S-Sandgem Town," I replied. The Pokemon said nothing else, it just began to fly again, this time, in a different direction.

I spent the next few hours dozing in and out of sleep, never fully being able to fall into slumber due to the shivering of my body. The Pokemon had a very cold body for some reason, its skin feeling like silk stretched over cold marble. Strangely, whenever I did feel like sleeping, my brain jolted me awake as if telling me that it was dangerous to do so. I couldn't deny that I was exhausted, but this strange warning in my head prevented me from doing any more than just dozing.

Eventually, after hours of flying through the sky, I felt the Pokemon descend. A few minutes later, I heard screams and shouts of alarm. I risked looking over the other side and found that we were descending into Sandgem Town, where a large group of people stood outside Professor Rowan's lab, all of which were pointing and screaming things at the Pokemon and me. The group spread out, forming a large circle in the middle where the Pokemon stopped. All was silent in the town, except for the few mumbles and snide comments that I could hear.

"It was that monster that did it," one said.

"Don't aggravate it, you'll get us all killed," another said.

**_'Where is the girl's family?_**' The Pokemon asked, causing full silence to fall over the crowd who now stared fearfully at the Pokemon. After a moment, two people pushed their way through the crowd. Much to my relief, it was my mother, leaning on Professor Rowan for support. My mother's lips parted as she gasped. The Pokemon floated forward, making everyone other than my mother and the Professor- Pokemon and people alike- take a few steps back. The Pokemon gently lowered me into my mother's arms.

"Thank you," my mother said gratefully, smiling.

"Thank you, Mister," I mumbled, stifling a yawn.

The Pokemon said nothing, it just floated backwards before disappearing into the shadows. Then all Hell broke loose. People rushed forward to me and my mother, all asking about how I was. I began to get annoyed when some people started throwing horrible comments about the Pokemon.

"I knew it was evil, but taking an innocent child? That's just unforgivable," someone stated.

"I know. It should just stay to its own island and do everyone a favor," someone else added.

"And have you heard about how it tortures the people of Canalave on each New Moon?" The first person said.

"Yes! Its a monstrosity, that Pokemon is! An abomination to this world!" A different person exclaimed.

"And to think it's a Legendary, too! Honestly, it would do us all good if that thing didn't even exist!" The second person declared. That was it. I had heard enough. Exhaustion forgotten, I scrambled out of my mother's arms and pushed through the crowd.

All around me, I could hear horrible things about this mysterious Pokemon, the Pokemon that had saved my life.

"Stop it! Stop it all of you!" I screamed, causing silence to fall. "That Pokemon saved my life and you're all being horrible about it! It isn't evil, it isn't a monster and it can do whatever the hell it wants if it means punishing nasty people like you!"

As I screamed the last bit, everyone gasped and exchanged anxious glances. I felt my mother's hand around my wrist and I turned to her.

"Come on, Mina, that's enough now," she said. Her tone was gentle and held what I thought to be some sort of satisfaction. She led me back to the house, one hand in mine while the other arm was supported by the Professor. As soon as I got in, my mother got me upstairs and dried me before I got changed into my pyjamas. Then,she tucked me into bed and said goodnight, going back downstairs to speak with the Professor.

I couldn't sleep, despite my exhaustion. Whenever I closed my eyes, all I could remember was the darkness of the stormy ocean and the crushing weight of the waves. I turned on my lamp and looked about my room. I wanted desperately to know more about this Pokemon that had saved me. What had it done to be so hated by everyone? I remembered what one of the people had said, that the Pokemon was a Legendary. I pulled my covers off and hopped out of bed, walking over to my bookshelf where I knew I had a book on the Legendaries of the world. When I finally found it, I brought it over to my bed and pulled the covers over me again, resting the book on my lap. Opening it, I flicked through the pages, looking at the pictures until I found one of the Pokemon. When I found it, I looked closely at the name.

"Dark...ra...ray...? Dark... rye?" I struggled with the name before finally giving up and moving onto the description. Looking at it, I saw that it would take a lot of effort to read, since there were a lot of advanced words in there. I considered going down the stairs and asking my mother or Professor Rowan to read it for me, but eventually decided against it, thinking that my mother would be annoyed that I wasn't resting. Looking at the text, I began to read.

_**"Darkrai is the creator of nightmares. He is known as the Nightmare King, the Pitch-Black Pokemon and many other names. He is associated with being a demon and being evil because of both his appearance and ability, but this is not true. In his first few centuries, Darkrai had no control over his abilities, meaning that any sleeping Pokemon or person withing a reasonable distance would have suffered terrible nightmares. Only after secluding itself to New Moon Island for over one hundred years did Arceus allow it to have control over its abilities. Now, it only ever uses its abilities for self defence, or, if angered enough, for revenge.**_

_**For some people, it takes years to get back into a proper sleeping routine after suffering a Darkrai induced nightmare, and because of this, the Pokemon is generally hated wherever it goes..."**_

The description went on and on for another page, but I was having a hard enough time figuring out what the words in that section meant. After a few minutes, the meaning of the description started to sink in. Darkrai was hated by everyone because it used to cause nightmares to everyone sleeping withing a certain distance. It isolated itself to protect others from itself, and they still hated him? It seemed to me that the people were the evil ones, not Darkai. Placing the book on my bedside table, I stared at the picture for a while, feeling sorry for the Pokemon. I shivered as the room suddenly grew cold, pulling the duvet further up my body. Then I saw it.

It was a slight twitch in the corner of the room, a shift in the shadows, but I noticed it. Snapping my head around in alarm, I stared at the corner with wary eyes, slowly moving my hands over to the scissors on my bedside table. I grasped them as firmly as I could, still watching the shadows. Then a form started to take shape, like it was an extension of the shadows itself. I felt fear building up inside me and I was ready to scream, but when the form began to look more regognisable, I relaxed. It was Darkrai.

Placing the scissors back down, I smiled at the Pokemon who watched me with an icy blue eye. I scrambled out from under my covers and sat on the edge of my bed, facing the Pokemon, cocking my head to the side.

"Hello there," I said, smiling brightly.

_**'Hello,'**_ he replied in a somewhat unsure tone.

"Thank you very much for saving me. It was very nice of you," I stated.

_**'I would have been evil indeed if I did not save a drowning child,'**_ Darkrai said in a sad tone, causing me to frown.

"You're not evil, you're just... oh what's that big word Mummy used the other day?... Misunderstood! Yes that's it! You're just misunderstood and I don't think it's fair how people are mean to you," I said, pleased at myself for using such a long word.

Darkrai seemed taken aback by this, stunned into silence. After a long while., he spoke up,_** 'What is your name?'**_

"Mina Euphoria," I replied, extending a hand like I had seen my mother and the Professor do so many times before.

_**'Darkrai,'**_ the Pokemon introduced itself, staring at the hand for a long moment before taking it in his large clawed one. 'You know what I am and yet you are not frightened?'

He seemed genuinely confused at this. I smiled sadly.

"Nope. Like I said, you're just misunderstood," I insisted. There was another silence. This time, I decided to fill it, "What's it like being a Legendary?"

Darkrai seemed to act defensive at first but then he realised the innocence behind my question.

**_'Lonely,_**' was all he said. My small heart ached in my chest when I heard the crestfallen tone of his voice. I didn't want the Pokemon to be lonely just because others had some opinions about him. I never thought it was fair when a person or pokemon was excluded and shunned just because it was different, very much like the Trubbish in Unova and Magikarp because they weren't as strong as some Pokemon.

"I don't want you to be lonely... can I be your friend?" I asked hopefully. If the Pokemon was surprised when I said I wasn't scared of him, he was practically in shock at this question.

_**'What do you mean?'**_ He asked. I almost wanted to giggle at the shock in his voice.

"I mean be each other's friend! It means being friendly to each other, and seeing each other often... you won't have to be lonely anymore," I mumbled the last bit, looking up at the Pokemon with a hopeful expression. The silence stretched on for a long while as Darkrai studied me. I began to feel very nervous as the minutes passed without either of us saying a word.

_**'Very well. I would like that, Mina Euphoria,'**_ he finally said. I grinned at my new friend. I then tried to stifle a yawn. Darkrai noticed this and said,**_ 'You are tired. Sleep.'_**

I shook my head vigorously, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Nope! I'm fine!" I insisted, my resistance proving futile as I tried to cover yet another yawn.

_**'Sleep,'**_ Darkrai insisted.

"No! I... I don't wanna..." I mumbled, looking down at my hands.

**_'Why?'_** he asked, confused.

"Well... I don't know if I'll see you again if I sleep..." I murmured rather sheepishly.

**_'What?'_ **He asked, taken aback.

"I don't have many friends. The ones I do have live all the way in Twinleaf Town so I don't get to see them that much. So, really... I guess I'm lonely too..." I trailed off, slumping my shoulders.

**_'Lonely...'_** Darkrai repeated, seeming to drift off, deep in thought.

"I don't know if I'll get to see you again if I fall asleep. Mummy probably won't let me go to Snowpoint again after today," I said.

**_'I will see you tomorrow if you sleep now,'_** he promised.

"Really? You promise?" I asked hopefully.

_**'I... promise,'**_ Darkrai said after a brief pause. I grinned and thanked him as he disappeared into the shadows.

I had a new friend, and everything was different now. I wasn't lonely and neither was he.

* * *

"Mina! Wake up, honey!" My mother's voice echoed up the stairs, causing me to rise. I pulled myself up and rubbed my eyes, squinting in the morning light that spilled through my open curtains.

Looking around the room, I saw no sign of Darkrai. There was a part of me that was upset about this, although my mind told me that it was perfectly rational.

'Don't be silly! He's not going to stay here all night!' I scolded myself in my head. Still, I couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed.

I stood and made my way over to my wardrobe and dressed in a red skirt and top, strapping my shiny red shoes over my white socks. I scrunched my nose when I felt that the shoes were still damp from yesterday.

Before leaving my room, I looked around at the shadows, hoping that I might see one of them twitch. I studied them for several minutes before sighing and turning around. That was when the room temperature dropped ten degrees. Turning back around, I saw the nightmare Pokemon hovering in a shadowed corner. I grinned and skipped over to him.

"Good morning!" I chimed happily, overjoyed that my new friend had kept his promise.

_**'Good morning,'**_ he greeted, apparently amused at my happy demeanor.

"Come on! I'll introduce you to my mummy!" I exclaimed excitedly, grasping hold of Darkrai's large, clawed hand, much to his surprise, and pulling him out of the room with me.

My mother was making herself some coffee when we entered the kitchen.

"Mummy! Look, I made a new friend!" I shouted. She turned, a confused smile on her face. When she saw Darkrai, he face paled and she dropped the coffee mug on the floor, shattering it into pieces.

"How... how did he get in here?" She asked.

"Um... I think he moves through shadows. Darkrai, this is my mummy, Helena, mummy, this is Darkrai," I introduced them. I suddenly remembered something important, "Oh! I forgot to brush my teeth!"

I dashed up the stairs, leaving my mother and the Nightmare King to awkwardly get to know each other.

* * *

**A/N: That was chapter two! It was much longer than the last, but I'm not entirely sure about the next one's length, or if they will all be the same. I hope you liked it. Reviews would be much appreciated so if you have any problems with the chapter, please let me know.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**'Mina, wake up,'**_ Darkrai's voice roused me from my sleep. I sat up and squinted in the darkness to find Darkrai in the corner of my room.

"Yep… I'm up…" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. I felt like there was something important to do today only I couldn't remember what it was.

"Darkrai, what is it I have to do today…?" I asked, frowning. The Pokemon gave the mental equivalent of a sigh.

_**'Get a Pokemon off the Professor for school next week,**_' he explained.

Oh. Right. Now that I was thirteen, I would be starting trainer school along with my friends Lucas, Dawn and Barry in the Unova region. It was a boarding school for eleven to sixteen year olds from all over the world, teaching from Maths and Science to Battling and Contests. However, I needed a Pokemon to start off with. I had put off doing this all summer for the simple fact that I didn't want to bother the Professor. He was extremely busy lately with his research.

"M'kay…" I mumbled, sliding out of the bed. Darkrai disappeared as I went to get washed and dressed as he usually did. I pulled out jeans and a red top to wear before dragging myself into the bathroom. Once I was washed, I dressed in my clothes, pulling on a pair of red sneakers too. I oh my hair in a loose braid before making my way down the stairs to find Darkrai hovering in the corner and my mother- now perfectly comfortable with the nightmare Pokemon- making coffee. I drank some water before puttin on my black jacket and heading out towards the Pokemart. Darkrai followed in my shadow- even though now everyone knew he was my friend despite the fact they still feared and hated him- as I entered the Pokemart. I walked towards the counter and greeted the woman with a smile.

"Hello there, how may I help you?" the woman asked.

"Hi, could I please buy six pokeballs and six potions?" I asked nicely. The woman nodded and rummaged around the shelves behind her until placing the items in a bag. I paid her the correct about of money before heading out, rather irritates at the strange looks of the townspeople on the way out. Arceus, it was like I was an alien or something.

I went back to my house and placed the items in my satchel before saying goodbye again and heading towards the lab.

I greeted the Professor nervously as I noticed his tired eyes.

"Hi, Professor, I'm… um well, I was wondering if I could get my starter Pokemon sometime this week? School starts soon and I can't go without a Pokemon," I explained.

"Oh, I am sorry about that, but I'm afraid that Dawn, Barry and Lucas have the last ones I had in my possession. It will take me at least a month to obtain any more," he looked at me apologetically before leading down and whispering, "Ever thought about Darkrai?"

My eyes widened at the thought. Of course I had given it some thought but I had never actually voiced it to Darkrai. Wouldn't he be bored with all the other people? And besides, who's to say they won't call him a monster too?

The Professor winked at me before turning and walking back to his office, leaving me rather dumbstruck.

Slowly, I walked out of the lab and back to my house. My mum asked me about the Pokemon but it seemed like I didn't hear her, like her voice went in one ear and straight out the other. I went into my bedroom, closing the door gently behind me. Darkrai appeared out of my shadow and watched me for a moment.

"Darkrai, the choice is yours. I can't control you like that. One, I literally can't and two, it wouldn't be right to do that. I don't want to forfeit this friendship on this whole business," I explained.

We were silent for what seemed like hours until finally, after the most ago agonisingly long silences of my life, Darkrai spoke up.

**_'I… will go to this trainer school with you. But I will not be put inside a Pokeball, nor will I 'learn' any new moves by the use of these Technical Machines,'_ **he explained. I jumped up and hugged him tightly. He tensed at first but eventually relaxed, just letting me do my thing.

I had my first Pokemon, and he was my best friend.

…

The week sped past too quickly. Before I knew it, I was in Canalave city at the harbour with Dawn, Barry and Lucas waving to my mother as she faded into the distance. The boat we were on was massive, like a cruise ship. The journey would take about three days in total so we had two cabins between us. I would share with Dawn and Barry and Lucas would share one. None of us had seen each others Pokemon yet because we had saved it as a surprise for the journey but now that we were on the ship, we could hardly wait to see each other's Pokemon. We ran to our cabins and unpacked before we grouped together in the boys' room.

"So, which Pokemon did you choose?" dawn asked the boys excitedly. They each released their Pokemon.

"I chose Turtwig!" Barry exclaimed.

"I chose Chimchar!" Lucas shouted.

Dawn then released her blue penguin Pokemon and brought it up in her arms to hug.

"I chose Piplup!" she yelled. They each admired their Pokemon and asked each over questions when they suddenly stopped, turning to me.

"Which Pokemon did you choose, Mina?" Lucas asked.

I didn't think it would be the best thing to show them Darkrai while in front of the three smaller Pokemon, especially since I had never actually told them about him. Before i could say anything though, the nightmare Pokemon materialised silently behind the six. I looked at him with an exasperated expression while he others looked at me like I had gone crazy.

_**'Me,'**_ Darkrai said, making the others jump and yell in surprise.

"Surprise…" I chuckled weakly, trying not to laugh at their expressions. Their eyes darted from me to Darkrai.

"Mina… th-that's Darkrai!" Lucas exclaimed.

_**'Well done, boy,'**_ Darkrai said in a deadpan tone. It was all it took not to burst out laughing at the others' terrified expressions.

Lucas smiled weakly, still looking both terrified and amazed. Dawn and Barry just gawked.

"Dawn, Barry, Lucas… this is Darkrai," I said, smiling.

Barry shook his head and grinned.

"Wow! You're amazing! I'll bet your super strong too! I'll have to battle you one day!" Barry exclaimed. That boy could talk fast.

I face-palmed at his attitude but it was much better than the paralysing fear I had been expecting. I looked at Dawn and she seemed to meet my expectations, if only marginally. If anything, she looked more shocked than scared.

"I, um, wow, erm… how did you… meet?" Lucas fumbled for the right words.

"Well… you know how I had that accident at sea when I was seven…?" I started.

"Yeah?" the three said in prefect unison.

"Darkrai saved me. We've been friends ever since and because the Professor didn't have any starter Pokemon left, Darkrai agreed to come with me," I explained.

"What? You mean you've been friends with a Legendary Pokemon for all these years and you didn't tell us?" Dawn finally got out.

"I couldn't! When the people of Sandgem Town found out, they shunned both me and him! I didn't want to lose you! The only people who have ever understood was my mum and Professor Rowan!" I protested, moving to stand by Darkrai.

"Yeah… okay, I guess that makes sense…" Lucas sighed.

"Oh, sorry, Mina," Dawn said quietly, turning a little red in the face.

"Awesome! You've got a Darkrai! That's so awesome!" Barry kept on saying while grinning like an idiot.

The tension in the room eased a little and we talked among ourselves, the others even included Darkrai in their conversations too, much to my delight.

"So, what do you think the teachers are like?" I asked.

"You don't know?" Lucas seemed astounded at something and I shook my head no.

"The teachers are Gym Leaders!" Barry interjected.

"What? Really?" I exclaimed, eyes widening in excitement.

"Yeah! Gym Leaders from all over the world! They take time off from their Gyms and come to the school to teach in their area of expertise. I thin that the Elite Four sometimes take lessons too," Lucas explained. I was totally amazed by the idea of being taught by Gym Leaders or even some of the Elite Four.

We talked until I was well past ten o'clock and hardly any of us could keep our eyes open.

_**'You are tired, Mina. Sleep,'**_ Darkrai informed. Although I was absolutely exhausted, I simply didn't want to sleep. I shook my head and forced my eyes to stay open.

_**'Mina, sleep,'**_ Darkrai said more forcefully.

"Is he always like this?" Barry joked.

"More or less…" I said dismissively.

_**'Either you all sleep now, or I put you into the Dark Void,**_' Darkrai threatened. This made the other three jump straight up and say their goodbyes, withdrawing their Pokemon. Dawn grabbed my arm and practically dragged me out of the room, Darkrai following close behind. She shoved me inside the room and shut the door, with Darkrai outside.

"Sorry! You can't come in while we're changing!" Dawn shouted through the wood.

"He doesn't do that anyway, Dawn. He just goes into one of his shadows and disappears for a while," I explained, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, we'll you could have told me that!" she said making an annoyed face even though she was so obviously trying not to laugh. She shouted through the door, "Sorry!"

I laughed and went into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth, before returning and crawling under the covers of the not-so-comfortable bed.

When Dawn came back from the bathroom, she climbed into her own bed and we talked quietly for a while. I sighed when I noticed one of the shadows twitch.

"What is it?" Dawn asked, frowning. Darkrai materialised in the corner of the room, causing Dawn to almost jump out of her skin.

"Holy Arceus!" she said, covering her mouth when she realised she had swore.

"Darkrai, that wasn't very nice," I scolded, trying to hide my smile.

_**'That may be, but you are still awake,'**_ Darkrai stated.

"But I'm not tired!" I protested. It was partly true. Even though I felt tired, I couldn't bring myself to go to sleep.

Darkrai lifted a hand in Dawn's direction, making her head drop to the pillow and her to fall into a deep sleep.

"Hey, that's mean!" I said, wide eyed at my unconscious friend.

_**'Would you like me to use Hypnosis on you or will you go to sleep on your own?'**_ he asked, floating forward to my bedside. I scowled at him before switching the lamp off, turning over and shutting my eyes. I found that sleep came quite quickly in the end.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 3 up! I know it is considerably shorter than the last, but as I said, they all vary in their lengths. I will try to upload the next one by tomorrow or Sunday, but after that, I go back to school so I may not be able to update as frequently. Reviews are appreciated, and thank you to the kind person who reviewed my story last chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**'Mina, wake up,'**_ Darkrai's voice made me stir as I opened my eyes a crack. I found three people's faces by my bed. I jolted upright, only to be met with a pounding headache.

"Oh, Arceus, what happened?" I asked.

"You've been asleep for the whole three days!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Yeah! We were really worried!" Dawn said.

"You've gotta hurry, though! We'll be in Castelia City in an hour!" Barry shouted while bobbing up and down. I frowned as I took in the information. When the realisation hit me, I threw my legs over the side and stood up, glaring around the room.

"Darkrai!" I screamed. I felt something cold behind me do I turned, almost bumping into the Pokemon's chest. I glared up at his ice blue eyes.

"You put me under Hypnosis! For three damned days!" I shouted.

_**'Yes,'**_ he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why the hell did you do that?" I exclaimed.

_**'Do you remember what happened the last time you went wandering around a cruise with these three?**_' he asked. We all cringed at the memory.

One day, when we were all nine, our parents took us on a trip to Kanto. We thought it would be an adventure to explore the ship, so we sneaked away from our parents and went running around the ship like we were crazy. We went down to the lowers levels and managed to get ourselves trapped in the engine room for over six hours. Eventually, Darkrai found us and told our parents. They came down to the engine room and found us. We swore never to go exploring the lower levels of a ship again.

"That's beside the point!" I protested.

_**'No, that is the point,'**_ the nightmare Pokemon insisted. I sighed and gave up.

"Okay, fine. Get out so I can change," I said bitterly.

Darkrai gave his equivalent of a chuckle before descending into the shadows. The other three walked out.

I changed into my red top, black jeans, red sneakers and black jacket before returning to the room to brush my hair. I left it down at its full length, not able to be bothered to tame the loose curls of my red hair.

Grabbing my satchel, I shoved my pyjamas and toothbrush in before leaving to find the others.

After a while of searching, I found then on the upper deck. I didn't bother asking where Darkrai was as I knew he wouldn't come out while so many people were around. He was uneasy at the idea of a school fill of children, never mind a cruise full of strangers.

We stood in silent awe as we looked at the colossal city. The buildings were three times as high as those in Sinnoh. Even Jubilife and Hearthome were tiny compared to this!

We pulled up to the dock and the stairs on the side of the cruise attached to he concrete dock, allowing the people to file off it. We pushed our way through the crowd, eager to step foot in the foreign land. When we finally reached the bottom of the stairs, we jumped off onto the dock.

"We're in Unova!" Dawn squealed.

"Hurry! The school bus should be waiting for us at the top of the dock!" Barry shouted, breaking out into a run.

"Can he ever take things slowly?" Lucas sighed while me and Dawn giggled.

We made our way over to where Barry was standing at the top of some stairs, next to a yellow bus. There was a friendly looking woman with glasses at the door of the bus.

"Hello, my name is Fennel, I'm a scientist here in Unova. I'll be takin you to your school in Opelucid City. Your luggage is already in the bus," she said, guiding us onto the already full bus. We managed to get four seats with each other. Dawn and me in front and Barry and Lucas behind us. The bus was very loud and I wondered how Darkrai would be taking this. He despised loud places.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a map, looking for Castelia City. When I found it, I then looked for Opelucid. My jaw dropped when I found it.

"Holy Arceus!" I exclaimed, causing the boys to lean forward and Dawn to snap her head around.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"We're here, in Castelia and we have to get all the way to Opelucid City! That's over five hundred miles!" I shouted. I hated buses at the best of times, but five whole hours on a noisy bus? I'd end up killing someone. Or at least get Darkrai to kill them for me.

As it happened, ours was the last boat to come in so as soon as we were belted in, the bus set off. There was an announcement that we would be stopping every hour for a fifteen minute break but that other than that, it was just one big long journey. I groaned and pulled out my music player, pushing the earplugs in my ears and blocking out the world. Dawn had fallen asleep, but after seventy two hours of sleep, I was hardly tired. I settled for looking out of the window and watching the obscenely large city roll past. I snapped my head back around when I saw two boys leaning over the seats in front of us. I unplugged an earphone and looked at the two boys. One had messy brown hair and the same coloured eyes and the other had short blonde hair with blue eyes. They smiled at me.

"Hey there," one said. I didn't like his tone.

"Hello," I said icily.

"I'm Rick," the blonde said.

"And I'm Mark," the brown haired boy said.

I smiled before turning back to the window.

"Aw, come one, that's not very nice," Rick said. I glared at him.

"Deal with it," I retorted. The two laughed and leaned forward even more.

"What year you in?" Mark asked.

"Nine," I replied.

"Aw, shame, we're in eleven. We won't be in any of the same classes except for maybe battling," he pouted and I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure I'll survive," I state, putting the earphone back in an returning to stare out of the window.

Yep, Darkrai was definitely going to have to kick someone's ass.

* * *

The rest of the journey was uneventful, all I did was ignore the two idiots in front of me, talk to Dawn, read my book and listen to my music. Even though it hadn't even been a day, I missed Darkrai. I missed his company and twisted sense of humour. I would be sure to tell him about Mark and Rick.

When Fennel finally announced that we were pulling up to the school, everyone's faces pressed up against the window. It was huge.

The building itself was a colossal mansion that could have passed of for a castle. There were smaller buildings built around it, looking just as classy, that would have been things like the sports hall or assembly hall. The bus stopped by the large stairs that led up to the main entrance so everyone could get off.

When we retrieved our luggage, we entered the mansion. It was beautifully decorated on the inside. The floor was polished ebony wood and the walls were a deep red with paintings hanging from them.

"Alright! Girls, follow me and I'll show you to your rooms!" a woman in a kimono said. Every girl followed her through the large corridors to the far left side of the building.

"Okay, here we are in the girl's dorms. My name is Erika and I am a Gym Leader from Kanto. I'm going to read out your name and your room number. As soon as you know your room, you can go there," she began. Erika seemed nice. I was expecting a Gym Leader to be scary but Erika made all those thoughts disappear.

She read the names out alphabetically as everyone listened to her intently.

"Mina Euphoria, Room 201," I smiled at her and walked to the said room. I opened the door to find Darkrai in the corner.

"Hey, how was life in the shadows while I had to out up with the loud bus?" I asked, dumping my bags by the bed nearest to the window.

_**'Better than yours,'**_ he said.

"Oh, ha ha ha," I said, lying back on the bed. I heard the door click and was about to tell Darkrai to hide, only to find he already had. A girl with bushy brown hair and deep blue eyes came in.

"Hi, I'm Hilda," she said, smiling. I smiled back and introduced myself.

"What year are you in?" I asked.

"Year nine," Hilda replied, smiling.

My smile grew wider.

"Me too! We might be in some of the same classes," I said.

"Do you mind if I send out my Snivy? He hates being inside his Pokeball all the time," she asked. I replies that it was fine so she sent out her small serpent like Pokemon. It examined the room with a scrutinising gaze. I noticed a shadow shift slightly, and apparently, so did Snivy. It jumped in front of Hilda in a protective position and prepared to pounce at the slightest movement.

"Snivy? What's gotten into you?" Hilda asked, shocked at the Pokemon's behaviour. Then Darkrai decided to materialise. I glared at him.

"Not really the best time to introduce yourself, Darkrai!" I said, throwing my arms out.

_**'No time like the present,'**_ he replied. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Hilda, this is Darkrai, my friend and Pokemon while I'm here," I said, still holding my head. Hilda stared at Darkrai with the oh so familiar fear that I had seen so many times before.

"Um… hi?" she said nervously.

_**'Hello,'**_ Darkrai said. He glanced at the Snivy._** 'There really is no need for that.'**_

The Snivy narrowed its eyes, unconvinced. I tried instead.

"Really, Snivy, Darkrai isn't mean to people or Pokemon without a good reason."

The Pokemon relaxed slightly but still kept its guard up, eying Darkrai warily. I sighed and smiled at Hilda who still stood in shock.

"Your Pokemon is… a Darkrai?" she said slowly.

"Well, yes and no. He isn't actually my Pokemon, but he's my best friend," I smiled softly at Darkrai.

Hilda smiled and sat on one of the other beds. We talked amongst ourselves when someone else came in. I grinned when I saw Dawn.

"Oh, thank Arceus! I thought I was going to be with two total strangers!" she exclaimed. She caught sight of Hilda and smiled, extending a hand, she said, "Hi! I'm Dawn!"

"I'm Hilda. Nice to meet you," Hilda replied, taking Dawn's hand.

Dawn turned to see Darkrai next to me and smiled.

"Hi Darkrai," she greeted. Darkrai inclined his head in greeting.

Darkrai left us in peace while we unpacked our bags, talking and laughing amongst ourselves. I liked Hilda a lot. She came from a small town on the other side of Unova that sounded a lot like Twinleaf Town. Once we had all unpacked, it was around six. At half past, a bell tolled. The sound reverberated through the mansion three times before everything was silent again. We looked at each other with a confused expression.

"What was that all about?" Hilda asked. In the blink of an eye, Darkrai appeared.

**_'I believe that was the bell signifying your dinner time,'_** he informed us. We shared a look and grinned.

"Oh good, I'm starving!" Dawn stated what we were all thinking.

"Thanks, Darkrai, I'll see you later!" I said while being dragged outbid the room by Hilda and Dawn. Erika was at the far end of the corridor with a group of girls around her.

"Follow me please! I'll show you the way to the dinner hall!" she exclaimed.

We rushed after her as she began leading the group through the corridors. I made a job of memorising the paintings on the wall so that I could find my way back easily without getting lost when we finally came to the dinner hall. There were four long tables, each the length of the hall, filled with boys. We all made our way over to the empty spaces but were disappointed when we found Lucas and Barry surrounded by people with no spare seats. I noticed a boy who looked similar to Hilda speaking with Lucas and also that he was waving at the said girl. Hilda waved back before turning back to us.

"That's my twin brother, Hilbert, over there. By the looks of it, I'd say you know the people he's sat with?" Hilda explained and we nodded before making our way over to a table with some empty spaces. I groaned when I saw two people sit next to us. Rick and Mark. I felt like smacking my head against the table but I refrained myself, instead just keeping my attention focused on my food.

_**'Just ignore them and they won't bother you, Mina…'**_ I thought to myself. Oh if only it was true.

"Hey girl, we never did get your name," Rick said. I ignored him.

"Aw, come on, don't pretend you can't hear us," Mark pushed.

"I'm not pretending that I can't hear you, I'm just choosing not to answer," I said, taking another mouthful of soup.

"That's not very polite," Mark scolded. I looked up at him and whirled an eyebrow, swallowing my soup.

"Neither if speaking with your mouth full, but that isn't stopping you," I retorted. Rick burst out laughing.

"Dude, she got you there," Rick laughed. My eyes returned to my meal. I could feel the eyes of Dawn and Hilda on me.

They continued to irritate me throughout the whole meal until eventually, I they left. I sighed and placed my head in my hands.

"Who the hell were they?" Hilda asked.

"Two complete idiots that I had the privilege of meeting on the bus while Dawn was sleeping," I replied in a monotone voice. I was so annoyed that I had completely lost my appetite. I stood from the table and said goodbye to the others. All I wanted to do was be with my best friend for a while. I walked down the corridors, trying to remember the paintings from earlier. Before I knew it, I was hopelessly lost.

"Dammit!" I yelled, stamping my foot in frustration. I turned around and found a familiar person at the end of the corridor.

"Well, well, little girly, are you lost? Or do you just want a good time?" he said in a low voice, taking a step towards me. I backed up a few steps, only to find myself pressed against a wall. Another few steps and Rick was towering over me, one arm on either side of me, trapping me in. I screwed my eyes shut and turned my head to the side, trying to push him away with my arms. He didn't budge an inch, he just leaned closer.

"Come on, girly, just a quick kiss…" he whispered. I began to tremble and I felt the tears forming in my eyes. He leaned close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck. Then, there was a loud thud and a cry of pain, and I could no longer feel the hot breath on my neck or feel his arms next to my shoulder. I opened my eyes a crack and turned my head to find Rick on the floor with none other than Darkrai hovering over him, a large clawed hand on the boys chest.

"Wh-What are you?" Rick stuttered.

_**'If you so much as touch her again, I will be your worst nightmare,'** _Darkrai said in a low voice. The shadows in the hall swirled angrily, reflecting his emotions. The thing that made it terrifying was the fact that I knew he wasn't lying. Darkrai lifted his hand off Rick's chest, watching with an icy glare as the boy scrambled away.

I slid to the ground, unable to stop the tears from flowing any longer. I curled up in a ball, resting my forehead on my knees and wrapping my arms around my legs. I felt Darkrai's cold arms lift me off the ground as he flew me to the girl's dorms. He entered my room and placed me on the bed, leaning back against the wall with me curled up against him, just like I did when he saved me from the storm all those years ago. I heard talking and laughing from outside, then the door opened. The voices stopped and were instead replaced with approaching footsteps.

"Oh Arceus! What happened?" I heard Dawn shout.

"Mina? Mina?" Hilda was saying my name and trying to get my attention. After a few minutes, I looked up at the two with red eyes.

"R-Rick… h-he cornered… he cornered me an-and I-I was t-trapped," I managed to get out. The girls looked at Darkrai.

_**'He will no longer be a problem,'**_ Darkrai informed them. They exchanged nervous glances. When the two realised that I would be fine, they mad their way to their own beds. Eventually, after a few hours, I fell asleep in the arms of the Nightmare King.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are appreciated. A to the person who mentioned that Darkrai was acting very motherly towards Mina, I was aiming for that sort of thing. I think Darkrai would be very protective of Mina since she understands him so well. Thank you for the review. I will try to update again tomorrow.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**'Mina, wake up,'**_ Darkrai's voice woke me and I was aware of a dull pain in my left arm. I groaned an rolled onto my back, or rather, I tried to. It was only after a few minutes that I realised I was still in Darkrai's arms. I squinted in the morning light as I focused on my surroundings. Hilda and Dawn's beds were empty and I realised with horror that if I didn't hurry, I would be late for my first lesson. I shot upright, out of Darkrai's arms and jumped off the bed.

"Darkrai, why didn't you wake me sooner?" I shouted as I grabbed some clothes from my dresser before running into the bathroom to wash and change.

**_'You needed the sleep,'_** he stated in a matter of fact tone.

"I'm going to be late for my first lesson! I don't even know what I have first!" I yelled through the door.

_**'You have battle practice first. Your timetable is on he dresser. The woman Erika pushed each through the bottom of the door earlier. The others have theirs with them,**_' he explained. I sighed and dragged a brush through my hair before putting it in a loose braid that went past my hips. I pulled on my sneakers and jacket, running out into the bedroom and grabbing my satchel.

"Darkrai, don't show yourself unless we have to do battles, okay?" I asked, grabbing my room key and timetable from the dresser. Battle practice in Outside Block One. I smiled at Darkrai as he disappeared before rushing out of the room and down the hall, trying to find the nearest door to get outside.

When I finally found one, I looked at the large clock on the bell tower, thanking Arceus when I saw I still had two minutes before the bell went. I scanned the area, spotting a large building that had a "1" engraved on the door. I bolted for the building with just one minute left to spare.

I reached it and took a deep breath before pushing the door open and entering the large hall. The inside was surprisingly modern looking, with large lights overhead and a cream stone floor.

I saw a large group of pupils at the other end so I sprinted for them, smiling when I saw Lucas. I walked over to him and found that he was with Hilda's twin, Hilbert. I smiled and introduced myself. Just then, a man with red, yellow and orange hair stepped up onto a podium, causing everyone to stop and listen. Hilbert leaned over to us and whispered, "That's Alder! He's Unova's Champion!"

He looked like a kind enough man even if his hair and clothes made him seem somewhat intimidating.

"Alright! By your faces, I'd say that some of you already know who I am, but for those of you who don't, my name's Alder; and I'm the current Unova Champion. While in battle classes, there will always be at least one specialist of each Pokemon type here. You will be split into groups depending on which Pokemon you brought with you. If you brought one of the elemental types with you, like fire, water and grass, you'll be in one group whereas if you brought one of the more advanced types, like psychic, dark, ghost and dragon, you will be in another. The same goes for the other types of Pokemon and trainers, each will have one specialist on each type, understood?" the Champion informed. There was a chorus of "Yes, sir"'s before he began speaking again, "Okay, ground, and poison over there!" he started to direct us in different places. Hilbert and Lucas were together since they both had fire type Pokemon but I went off in another direction. The pupils seemed nice enough and so did the Type Specialists. When Alder finished dividing the students, the type leaders gathered us close around them so we could all hear what they would be saying.

"Okay, so we are your group leaders! My name is Lucian and I am a master of psychic type Pokemon," a purple haired man in a suit introduced himself, bowing slightly.

"I am Grimsley, master of dark type Pokemon," a rather formidable looking man said. He too was in a suit but it was a much darker shade of purple than Lucian's and his hair gave him a malicious appearance. I knew, however, that he would end up being my mentor as Darkrai was a dark type.

"I'm Claire, the dragon-master," a woman with shockingly bright blue hair announced.

"And I am Fantina, the ghost type master," a link haired woman in a ball gown said. They all smiled at us as we examined the powerful Gym Leaders and Elite Four members before us. I was glad to see someone from Sinnoh here as it made me feel a little less lonely.

"If you are in this group, I means that you have more advanced Pokemon with you, in the sense that you can only become true partners with your Pokemon once you have perfected your relationship and friendship with them. Only then can you hope to become strong trainers and one day, maybe even the champion of your own region," Claire spoke. It was clear that the students hung of their every word simply by the expressions on their faces. I couldn't help the anxious knot in my stomach at the thought of having to reveal Darkrai any time soon.

"Right then, shall we, Lucian?" Grimsley suggested with a smirk, clasping his hands together. Lucian smirked in turn and nodded.

"Okay then, Psychic type trainers follow me!" Lucian announced, walking further away to a more spacious part of the arena.

"Ghost types this way!" Fantina proclaimed before, quite literally, dancing her way over to a clear space.

"Dragon type trainers outside with me!" Claire ordered, walking to the nearest exit.

That just left Grimsley with a pleased- albeit rather demonic- expression on his face.

"Excellent. Now that we have this free space, why don't you all release your Pokemon and let me take a look?" the Elite Four member said, throwing his arms out before dropping then back to his side. He turned his back to us while everyone released their Pokemon. I didn't call upon Darkrai just yet as the ball in my stomach caused me to freeze in place as Grimsley turned back around, examining each and every one of the Pokemon. He slowly made his way down the line to me and paused, quirking an eyebrow and cocking his head to the side.

"Where is your Pokemon, Miss…?" he trailed off and I swallowed, finding my voice.

"Mina Euphoria, sir. I… um…" I stopped mid-sentence, unsure of what to say. 'Sorry to disrupt the class, sir, but my Pokemon is hated and feared by everyone in the world so if you don't mind, I'll keep him right where he is.' I wanted to say but the intimidating man in front of me made me think twice.

"Miss Euphoria, release your Pokemon so I may see it, please. There is nothing to be nervous about, I don't bite," he said, amused by the expression on my face. I was taken aback by the kindness In his voice.

"Sir… I…" I trailed off, glancing around at the crowd of pupils who were watching me intently. I sighed and nodded my head, "Come on out…" I said, looking at my shadow. I almost wanted to roll my eyes at the prolonged period of time in which Darkrai took to properly materialise from the shadow. He floated so he was above mine and everyone else's head. Grimsley's eyes widened and he took a step backwards, admiring the Pokemon.

"Well I never…" he shook his head as a smile spread across his face. The other pupils all screamed or cried out in alarm, stumbling backwards a few steps with their Pokemon. The hall grew silent as people stopped what they were doing to see the commotion. All eyes lay on the pupils, on Grimsley, on me and then, finally, on Darkrai. I gulped at all the attention. The group leaders all stepped forward, in front of the students. Alder came forward of everyone else.

"What is the meaning of this? Where did this Pokemon come from?" he demanded, eyes locked onto Darkrai. The students had pressed themselves as close to the walls of the hall as possible, distancing themselves from Darkrai. Alder, Grimsley, Darkrai, the other group leaders and I were the only ones in the centre of the room. I noticed the leaders reach for their Pokemon balls. My eyes widened in horror as several of them released their Pokemon, each one with an angry expression on their faces. I leapt in front of Darkrai, my arms outstretched to my sides.

"No! Stop!" I screamed. I felt a strange curiosity radiating off him, but his eyes remained focused on Alder.

"Step away," Alder said sternly, eyes locked on Darkrai.

I shook my head vigorously, unable to get any words out. Alder's Druddigon stepped forward, soon followed by the other Pokemon that had been released. My eyes flickered to Grimsley who stood watching me intently. His brow furrowed, he looked to be contemplating something. My look turned pleading as I knew that if anyone could help Darkrai in this situation, it was the dark master.

He straightened his back and stepped in front of me, placing himself between the Druddigon and me. A wave of relief washed over me.

"Alder, stop this," Grimsley said in a calm voice.

"Grimsley, you know as well as I that this is a dangerous Pokemon. If anything were to happen-"

"No, I know that Darkrai would never use his abilities without first being aggravated," Grimsley explained.

Alder took a look around the room at the wide eyed students.

"We will discuss this later. In the meantime, this Pokemon is not to participate in any battles whatsoever, understood?" Alder demanded. Grimsley nodded once.

"Back to your battling!" the Champion shouted out at the students. They all fumbled about a bit before returning to their groups. Grimsley turned to face Darkrai and I.

"Well, now that that's over, shall we return to the others?" he suggested in a much friendlier tone than I had heard from him earlier. I nodded and turned to Darkrai.

_**'Shall I leave?'**_ he asked, ignoring the frightened stares of the pupils and even some of the leaders.

"No, if they have a problem with you, I dare them to come forward and say something about it," I said, loud enough for anyone in close range to hear. Darkrai gave the mental equivalent of a chuckle before floating beside me as I walked over to where Grimsley was now instructing the other pupils.

"Now, I want you all to pick a partner and participate in a single battle with them. Begin," he said dismissively, watching the students rush around to try and pick someone they liked the look of. I stood to the side, watching the battles as they began to unfold.

"Study your opponent!" Grimsley ordered, pacing back and forth slowly, like a Leipard stalking it's prey, as he watched the battles with a scrutinising gaze. I, too, watched the battles, studying the different techniques. The people and Pokemon were clearly uneasy with me watching with Darkrai so close so eventually, I sighed heavily and walked farther away from them, leaning against a wall with Darkrai beside me.

"Fear for your Pokemon is understandable but you must learn to have faith in one and other's abilities if you are ever to become powerful trainers!" the dark type master said sharply, his voice still managing to sound calm as he gazed at the battling Pokemon through narrowed eyes. A young Murkrow actually flinched under the intensity of his stare, allowing the opposing Deino to land a Bite on its wing.

_**'They are too distracted. They must lean to block out all else other than their foe and their trainer's voice,'**_ Darkrai said to me. That didn't turn out well for the other Pokemon though, for as soon as his mental voice sounded, they flinched and faultered in their battling, eyes flickering over to Darkrai. Grimsley noticed this and made his way over. He had a light smirk on his face. When he reached us, he turned to the others and said, "Continue."

Instantaneously, the trainers and Pokemon resumed their battles.

"What did you say to make them act in such a manner?" Grimsley asks, surprising both me and Darkrai by addressing the nightmare Pokemon directly, without a hint of fear or hesitation in his voice.

_**'I merely stated that they needed to block everything other than their foe and their trainer in order to succeed,'**_ Darkrai explained. The Elite Four member looked pleased by the comment.

"Impressive, although I suppose as a Legendary Pokemon, you must know all about these things," Grimsley stated.

**_'I have been in too many battles,'_** Darkrai added solemnly. I was amazed at how well the two got on. It was even better than when Professor Rowan first met Darkrai!

Grimsley's smirk turned into a sad smile as he heard the sadness in Darkrai's voice. After a moment, he turned to me.

"Miss Euphoria, I am sorry that Alder has forbidden you from participating in the lesson, however I hope you can learn from watching the classes anyway," Grimsley smiled apologetically.

"Yeah, so do I. Do you know if I'll be allowed to join in next time?" I asked hopefully.

"We'll see. It all depends on of I can convince Alder," he replied.

"It's okay, I can just watch the others battle. Thank you, for standing up for Darkrai," I said, smiling at the tall man. He smiled back and bowed his head.

"Alder is a good man but he is also rather superstitious. He loves all Pokemon but is occasionally wary around dark and ghost types. Over time, he's learnt to trust them but I suppose with the surprise of seeing a Darkrai in the middle of a school hall- especially with their unfortunate reputation- he was just acting on impulse. He'll come around," Grimsley explained before turning back to the ongoing battles. His words put me at ease a little and I looked at Darkrai. He was staring after the dark type master.

_**'For one so young he is very wise,'**_ Darkrai stated. I nodded in agreement.

"The others look like they're going to jump out of their skin whenever you move!" I exclaimed as I saw a blonde girl jump when Darkrai spoke.

_**'Grimsley is right though, my reputation does not help matters,'**_ Darkrai mentioned, following my gaze.

The rest of the battling session went easily enough. Darkrai didn't have to kick anyone's ass for me in the end, although I was less than pleased with the odd looks the leaders were giving me. The leaders of all people! Gym Leaders and Elite Four members! It was probably the most irritating thing about the whole session. It was lunch time next (since each battle session took up half the school day) so I walked out of the hall with Darkrai, waiting by the doors for Lucas and Hilbert. Big mistake. A girl turned in my direction and screamed at the top of her lungs when she caught sight of Darkrai. My eyes widened and I spun around to him.

"Hide!" I exclaimed. Darkrai glanced at the girl for a moment before descending into my shadow. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Mina? What's wrong?" I heard Hilda's voice ask. Opening my eyes, I found her with Lucas and Hilbert a little ways behind her.

I couldn't find words for some reason. The reaction to Darkrai had been so extreme that it had left me feeling a little washed out.

"The others will explain it to you. I need to lie down for a while… I'll join you for the rest of lunch in about half an hour, okay?" I explained, smiling apologetically. Before she could answer, I waved and walked back to the mansion, keeping my head bowed so as not to attract any unwanted attention.

Thankfully, I managed to reach my room without any trouble. I sighed and lay back on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling when I felt the room chill slightly. I looked up to find Darkrai in the corner.

"That could have been better," I stated.

_**'It could also have been worse,'**_ he retorted. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you have to contradict everything I say?" I asked, trying my hardest not to smirk and act serious.

_**'Only when you are wrong,'**_ he replied. I threw a pillow at him to try and mask my smile. It just bounced of him and fell to the floor. I could feel an aura of amusement radiating off him as I scowled.

_**'You need to eat,'**_ he stated in a matter of fact tone.

"No, I need to relax before I punch someone in the gut," I protested.

_**'You are hungry,'**_ Darkrai insisted. I knew he was true, but I couldn't face going anywhere near those people.

"Nope. I'm fine," I said, rolling over to face the wall. Then I felt Darkrai's cold arms pick me up and lift me into the air.

"Put me down!" I screamed, thumping him on the chest.

_**'No. You are hungry therefore you must eat. I will take you there myself if need be,'**_ he said. My eyes widened at the thought of the students faces if a Darkrai came casually floating in the dinner hall for lunch.

"Okay! Fine, I'll go there myself!" I shouted, pushing my self out of Darkrai's arms.

_**'Good,'**_ was all he said before descending into my shadows.

I rolled my eyes and leaving the room. The corridors were empty as I made my way over to the dining hall. When I reached the hall, I paused at the door to try and find my friends. That's when someone saw me. And another person. And another person. Slowly but surely, every single person in the hall stopped what they were doing to stare at me. The loud chatter turned to silence. I felt exposed and unsure of what to do.

Swallowing, I made my way over to where I had spotted my friends, the only people who were smiling kindly at me. I sat down and took a bread roll from the basket in the middle of the table. I buttered the bread but I couldn't bring myself to eat while so many people were staring. I lifted my head and raised a questioning eyebrow at the people. The hurriedly turned back to their own plates and began to eat. The ones who were near me and had finished eating swiftly left the hall.

I sighed and put my head in my hands. This was a nightmare. It was the first day of school and already I had an unnecessary reputation.

"Hey, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?" Dawn asked. I nodded my head, still bowed and in my hands.

"I thought you were going for a lie down?" Hilda said softly.

"I was but, since I missed breakfast, Darkrai made me come for something to eat," I mumbled. I knew he was possibly still hiding in my shadow and he had most likely heard everything that had happened in the hall.

"Oh. Well, we've all got Maths together next and then it's Art so at least the rest of the day will be easy enough," Lucas said, smiling.

"Art? Ooh, that means I can introduce you to my friends Cheren and Bianca!" Hilda exclaimed excitedly. I lifted my head and smiled at the girl. If these people were Hilda's friends, that probably meant that they were nice people.

I finished eating my bread roll when the bell went. We all made our way to the Maths Block together. Being in a group with friends boosted my confidence a little because I felt more secure knowing that there were people who did trust my judgement and in turn, they trusted Darkrai.

Maths was simple algebra and equations so the lesson flew by in no time. For our teacher we were pleased to find that we had Lucian the psychic type master. If he felt any uncertainty towards Darkrai and I, he didn't show it.

When the lesson had finished, we made our way over to the Art Department. It was rather large despite the fact that it only had two classrooms. We took a seat at one of the larger tables and waited for Hilda's friends to turn up. When a blonde haired girl dressed in orange, white and green and a black haired boy wearing black and white came in, Hilda's face lit up.

"Guys, over here!" she shouted at the two people. They looked in our direction a smiled. Well, the girl, Bianca, grinned while Cheren had a small smile on his face. They took the two spare seats and looked around.

"Hi! My name's Bianca!" the girl said cheerily.

"My name's Cheren," The boy said in a voice that had a slight edge to it.

We introduced ourselves one by one.

"Aren't you the one who stood up for Darkrai this morning?" Cheren asked, turning to face me full on.

"Um, yeah…" I trailed off, not liking where this was going.

"I thought that was rather good of you. Every Pokemon has their own method of self defence, causing nightmares just happens to be the way of Darkrai," he said, surprising me.

"Um, wow, thanks. I thought you were going to bite my head off," I added the last bit sheepishly.

"No, not you, although I had some strong words with the boys in my dorm for being so foolish as to think Darkrai meant to kill us," he mentioned, rolling his eyes.

"What? Some people actually think that?" I exclaimed. Cheren nodded in response.

"Yeah! One of the girl's in my room said that too but me and Lyra set her straight! Well… I guess Lyra did…" Bianca said.

Just then, a girl with a hat, a red top, shorts and brown hair in bunches came around the corner.

"Um, I heard my name? Bianca?" the girl, obviously Lyra, said.

"Oh, hi! Are you in here too? That's great! What about Ethan?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah, he's coming on a minute. His Marill stole his hat again," she laughed.

"Pull up a chair of you'd like!" Dawn offered.

Lyra nodded and grabbed a chair from the nearest table, pulling it up next to Bianca and Barry. A few minutes later, a bit with very dishevelled hair rushed into the classroom, panting with a cap in his hands.

"Lyra… it's… okay… I've… got… the… hat," he exclaimed in between breaths.

Lyra gestured for the boy, Ethan, to come over and sit with us. He grabbed a chair and wedged himself in next to Cheren and me. We all introduced ourselves just before the teacher came in the classroom. He was dressed rather flamboyantly in greens, oranges and yellows with a thick head of curly hair.

"Alright! My name's Burgh and I'm the gym leader of Castelia City but while I'm here I'll be your art teacher," the man announced. He took the register before telling us what to do, " Okay, so I can get an idea of your abilities, I want you to draw a picture of your Pokemon. It can be as big as you like, in pencil, in colour, painted. The choice is yours. Okay, off you go! Paper and equipment is all on the front desk."

We all got up to grab our equipment before returning to our seats. I started to draw Darkrai.

"So, I wonder how the teacher will react to you drawing a Darkrai?" Cheren mused aloud. I grimaced at the thought of it.

"He doesn't have much of choice really!" I laughed. Cheren smirked before returning to draw his Tepig. I bent down low over my artwork, putting all of my attention into the drawing. I had Darkrai's shape perfectly, his tendrils of shadow, his clawed hands and his pure white hair but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get his one visible icy blue eye. I was repeatedly drawing it in, checking it and then rubbing it out again, unsatisfied with the results. The concentration gave me a headache and I was beginning to get frustrated. After another few minutes, I slammed down my pencil and put my head in my hands, rubbing my temples.

"Um, Mina? You okay?" I heard Bianca ask.

"Yeah… but it's practically impossible for me to finish this without having Darkrai here and I hardly think it will go down well at all with Burgh," I said, sighing. My head shot up when I felt the room chill. I glanced around, receiving some confused looks from the others on the table although I ignored them.

"Don't you dare, Darkrai…" I said warningly. Too late. He was already hovering next to me, causing some of the other students, and even my new friends, to freeze and gape.

_**'What is the problem?'**_ he asked. I glared at him.

"Real subtle, Darkrai," I said sarcastically. He gave his equivalent of a chuckle before peering over at my drawing.

_**'Why are you drawing me?'**_ he asked, genuinely confused.

"We got told to draw our Pokemon. I can't get your eye right though," I stated, looking down at the picture. In it, Darkrai was using the move Dark Pulse.

_**'Hm,'**_ he said absentmindedly. Then, to my horror, he turned to the students in the classroom, all of which were staring wide eyed at the pitch black Pokemon. He didn't say a word, but he sure as hell put his abilities to good use. The room chilled even more than it already had and there was a horrible tension to the atmosphere, like there was no joy left in the world, like all you wanted to do was run and hide. The shadows in the room began to shift and swirl in a haunting fashion. A couple of people screamed, one actually ran out of the room while the rest were paralysed with fear. This didn't affect me any more- when I was little, Darkrai used to make a point of trying to scare me, and then got frustrated when it didn't work. I just used to laugh about it, but right now, I was annoyed as hell. I stood from my seat and moved to stand in front of Darkrai, glaring at him full on.

"Darkrai! Stop it, now!" I ordered just as Burgh rushed into the room. The Gym Leader took a step back when he saw Darkrai and felt the powerful aura he was giving off. I didn't take much notice of him though, I just continued to glare challengingly at the Nightmare King.

"Enough," I seethed. Darkrai gave off his eerie chuckle before disappearing into the shadows, the paralysing atmosphere disintegrating as he left. I sighed and sat back down, returning my head to my hands. Why, oh why, couldn't Darkrai make this easy? Why must he make things so difficult? Oh, of course, because he's Darkrai, that's why. I dropped my head from my hands and let it drop to the table. I thumped it against the wooden surface gently, hoping that perhaps, if I was lucky enough, it would knock some sense into me.

"You okay?" Lucas asked. From what I could hear, he was crouched down next to me.

"Mm-hmm. Oh yeah, I'm great. I'm stuck in the Unova region with a sadistic nightmare Pokemon who will most likely scare half the students in this school senseless. Yeah. I'm awesome," I replied hotly, in a sharper tone than I intended to. I turned my head to be side, resting it flat against the table so that I was facing Lucas. He looked at me solemnly.

"I'm sure he isn't that bad. It was actually kind of funny to see their faces. You know, when the paralysing fear thingy disappeared," he joked. I gave a half hearted smile. I closed my eyes for a second, hoping that the darkness would swallow me up, when I felt a tap in my shoulder. I sat up and turned, only to find Burgh behind me. I internally sighed. This would not be fun.

"Mind explaining to me what, in the name of Arceus, that Darkrai was doing here?" Burgh demanded, arching an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. I gulped before answering.

"Well… I was having trouble drawing him and… I guess he kind of heard. He doesn't take kindly to being stared at so he does this thing where he… um… scares people," I explained awkwardly.**_ 'Yeah, scares them shitless,'_** I added in my head.

"What do you mean "having trouble drawing him"? You mean your Pokemon is a Darkrai?" the Gym Leader asked incredulously. I nodded shyly. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Well… I'm afraid I'm going to have to speak to Alder about this… um… just… keep going with your drawing…"

The bug type master scratched the back of his head before walking towards another desk, saying words of reassurance to the petrified students. I sighed and turned back to the table, gazing down at the drawing. I drew in the eye and much to my annoyance, it looked fine this time.

_**'Yeah, it **_**would**_** look fine after Darkrai makes the other kids shit their pants…'**_ I thought bitterly.

Dammit I was annoyed. When I had done, I added colour. Really though, the only colour needed was that of Darkrai's eyes and collar. When I had finished, I handed it to Burgh. He smiled awkwardly as he took it. I headed back to the desk and chatted with the others for a whole. About ten minutes later, the bell went, signifying the end of the school day. I exhaled in relief as I grabbed my satchel from under the desk. We all walked to the library as one big group of friends, new and old, talking happily amongst ourselves.

The library was huge to say the least. Rows upon rows of bookshelves filled the seemingly never ending room, with a few small cosy and private areas for reading. The reading areas were large enough for a group of people to comfortably sit and chat or read as there were leather sofas and chairs. The little area that we decided to use was at the far end of the library, where you could clearly tell that people hardly visited, and had two brown leather sofas with cushions and fur throws and two matching armchairs, all of which were in a semicircle around a large stone fireplace. We all made ourselves comfy on the sofas, putting out feet up on the footrests or curling them up next to us. Well, all except Cheren who sat in a more sensible, careful position. After a while, the others even sent out their Pokemon. I debated on whether or not to ask Darkrai to come out but eventually decided against it, thinking that the other Pokemon might not take too kindly to the Nightmare King.

"Mina, what is it?" Lyra asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Yes, there is something," Cheren noted. Damn observant Cheren. I glanced at the Pokemon around us. He seemed to notice this as he added, "You know, I don't think any of us mind of you call for Darkrai to join is."

The others smiled and shook their heads, agreeing with the dark haired boy. The Pokemon looked a little on edge about it but didn't seem to protest. I stood and walked towards the bookshelves.

"I'll be right back then," I said, waving to the others.

Once I was a good distance away, I called out, "Darkrai? Are you there?"

There was a slight chill to the air before his familiar shape emerged.

_**'Always,'**_ he replied, hovering a couple of feet away from me.

"We wanted to know I you wanted to join us. We're not really doing anything, just relaxing and talking," I smiled.

_**'No,**_' was all he said. I frowned at the abruptness of the answer.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

**_'I do not get on well with others. Especially children,'_** he explained.

"You got on with me," I pointed out.

**_'Yes, but that was different. There are more of them than there was of you,'_** he stated. I sighed.

"Come on, it would do you good to get to know some other Pokemon and people!" I pressed.

_**'I most definitely will not be going of their Pokemon are out too,'**_ he practically growled.

"Please, Darkrai, I hate seeing you on your own. Just this once and if you don't like it, you never have to do it again," I begged. There was a long pause.

**_'Very well,'_** he agreed. I grinned and grabbed his large hand, pulling him with me as I skipped through the halls of bookshelves. When I came to the lounge area, the others smiled up at us, albeit a little nervously. The Pokemon stiffened at the sight of Darkrai, their chatter quietening down a little. I sat back on the armchair with my begs curled up next to me, darkrai hovering next to the chair, a little behind.

"So, Mina, Darkrai, tell us how you two became friends," Lyra started. The others enthusiastically agreed, shifting in their seats to get a better look at us. I glanced up at Darkrai who in turn looked at me before starting my story, the tale of how I almost died.

* * *

**A/N: Here is the unusually long chapter 5. Not all of my chapters will be this long but I felt that I needed to do this one with a bit more depth. **


	6. Chapter 6

We spoke amongst ourselves for the next few hours until the dinner bell tolled. As we hurriedly made our way to the dinner hall in order to get seats together, I reflected on how well my friends had received Darkrai into our group. They included him in conversations and even the Pokemon made their best efforts to be nice to him. After Darkrai's many years of solitude, he wasn't used to being among large groups of people as in the past, people had tried to overpower, capture or even kill him so he still felt a lot of distrust towards strangers. I had hope for my friend though, I had hope that one day, he would find a way to trust others. He had stayed in the library while we went to get lunch.

The lounge area was such a lovely place that we had decided to go there more often together after school. We reached the dinner ball while there were still plenty o seats left. We all took food from the middle of the table and dug in. Barry was the first to finish, of course, and he left to go and train his Turtwig. He said he would meet us in the library later on. Cheren then left to go with Barry, saying that he, too, would like to train his Tepig. With the two spare seats left, my least favourite people I the world sat there of course. Rick and Mark. Rick didn't even make eye contact with me and he seemed to flinch at every touch or loud noise. Memories of the previous night came to mind and I found that I was no longer hungry. I stood and made my excuses to leave, saying that I would be in the library if they wanted me. Silently, I walked back to the library. There was one question that wouldn't stop nagging Anne, driving me crazy.

What if Darkrai hadn't have come that night, what would have happened of he didn't save me?

I shuddered to think about the possibilities so, pushing the dark thoughts to one side, I entered the library, making my way to the back. It took me a good few minutes to reach the lounge at the speed I was walking but when I reached it, I sat in the armchair, staring into space.

The questions crept their way back into my mind. All the "what if?"'s that wouldn't leave me alone.

What if Darkrai didn't save me? What if Alder had attacked Darkrai? What if Grimsley hadn't stood up for us? What if Grimsley didn't manage to persuade Alder that Darkrai wasn't a threat? What if I had to leave? What if my friendship with Darkrai broke because of this school? What if I had never even met Darkrai?

I found the last thought so utterly horrifying that I had to snap myself out of my stupor. I left the chair and began to walk through the isles, perfectly content with getting lost in the giant library. I scanned the bookshelves for something that could interest me. I caught sight of a very old looking book, bound in black leather with silver patterns all over it. I picked it out, handling it with care, and looked at the cover.

**_"Legends Of The World: A History Of Legendaries."_**

The title read. I meandered my way back to the lounge and sat back down in the armchair, opening the book and beginning to read. The first legend was of the Legendary Birds: Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres.

I read through carefully, soaking up every piece of information. I was so caught up in the book that I actually didn't notice the temperature drop ten degrees.

_**'Interesting,'**_ Darkrai mused. I jumped and shot out of the seat, swirling around to see Darkrai with an amused twinkle in his one eye.

"Oops…" I said sheepishly as I sat back down, calming my heartbeat as it threatened to explode out of my rib cage.

_**'Were you really that interested in the myths?'**_ Darkrai asked, seemingly interested.

"Well, yeah. I love learning about different Pokemon and I find the myths so fascinating… hey, Darkrai?" I asked, getting an idea.

_**'What is it?'**_ he asked suspiciously.

"Could _you _tell me about the myths and legends? You would know them firsthand anyway," I suggested.

_**'No. Absolutely not,'**_ he protested just as the others walked up, including Barry and Cheren.

"'No' what?" Hilda asked, grinning as Darkrai spun around. Guess I'm not the only one who can be caught off guard.

"Darkrai is going to tell us about the Legendary Pokemon," I grinned mischievously.

_**'No, I am not. You have books for that. Use them,'**_ he said icily.

"Oh, please Darkrai! It would be so good to hear them from an actual Legendary!" Dawn exclaimed. Darkrai shot me a glare before directing his thoughts to my head and my head only, preventing the others from hearing.

_**'I will not be responsible for my actions if one of them irritates me,'** _he said before turning to the others. I grinned.**_ 'What do you want to hear?'_** He asked the group.

"About all the Legendaries!" Ethan shouted.

"About battles!" Barry chimed in.

The request kept on coming and I could feel Darkrai's frustration growing and his patience waring thin.

"Okay! I think that's plenty to talk about now!" I quickly shouted over the excited noise. Darkrai gave his equivalent of a sigh before beginning.

_**'About the Legendaries, there really is not much to say. Each one tends to keep to themselves or their families and counterparts. Giratina is in the distortion world, still annoyed at Dialga and Palkia but no longer hell bent on revenge. She gets along with Dialga better than she does with Palkia. Mew constantly pesters Mewtwo about everything, she is still like a child in some aspects but Mewtwo is one step away from having a mental breakdown. The Legendary Birds keep to themselves since they don't get on with each other at all. The Beasts travel in a pack at all times and have the tendency to bully the Lake Guardians of Sinnoh. The Lake Guardians try not to get too upset about being picked on all the time but in the end, they always just to to Arceus for help. Arceus, with the help of Kyurem, is still trying to stop Zekrom and Reshiram from destroying Unova with their arguments as well as helping Rayquaza stop Kyogre and Groudon from killing each other. Ho-oh flies around the world for no reason whatsoever while Lugia stays to her caves. Heatran stays in her mountain, causing it to erupt every couple of centuries or so. The Regis' all hate each other so in the end it comes down to Regigigas to stop them from fighting. Latias and Latios go everywhere together as they are practically inseparable. Celebi spends most of her time with Mew as she's about the same age along with Jirachi, although he is a little more levelheaded. Deoxys roams about in space doing nothing in particular. Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion and Keldeo work together to protect Pokemon who have lost their homes but that doesn't stop the odd argument from setting in. Thunderus, Tornadus and Landorus take pleasure in causing chaos with the weather whenever they can. Victini tries to be friends with Mew, Celebi and Jirachi but it never turns out well. And then there is Cresselia who just… gets on my nerves,'**_ Darkrai finished.

"Darkrai, I don't think I've ever heard you say that many words in all the time I've known you," I said, bewildered.

"Wow, that's really something," Lucas said, equally amazed.

There was a couple of minutes silence then as we all soaked up the information. Eventually, Barry asked the one thing I hoped no one would ask.

"What happened in Alamos town all those years ago?"

I Looked up at Darkrai and saw him tense for a second. He didn't like talking about that. He never liked talking about that. I saw the shadows around him start to swirl and the room grew darker. I feared that he would do something bad to Barry, even though it was an innocent question in all actuality. What he said though was far worse than I expected.

_**'I died,'**_ was all he said before disappearing into the shadows. I sighed and rested my forehead on my knees as I brought them to my chest. There was a long silence then, for how long I don't know, but by the time someone finally spoke up, the sun had set and the library was growing cold. Cheren lit the fire and we started to curl up under the throws.

"Do you think Darkrai's okay?" Lyra asked.

"I don't know. He didn't exactly look okay," Ethan pointed out.

"Yeah, the shadows were twitching and everything. I thought he was gonna lose his temper with Barry or something," Hilbert said.

"Mina? You okay?" Dawn asked. I looked up at her and forced a smile.

"Darkrai never liked talking about Alamos Town. I don't even know what really happened," I mumbled, staring into the fire.

There was another silence. This one was much more uncomfortable than the last though. After a while, I began to think over Darkrai'a words.

**_I died._**

Those two words were enough to make my blood run cold. When he said it, I felt as though there was a Purrloin clawing at my heart. Eventually, when I felt as though I could no longer take the silence, I stood from my place.

"I'm going to go now I think…" I said, turning and making my way through the dark library.

I was either avoided by other people or I avoided then myself on the way back to the room. I was hardly in the mood for any wide eyed frightened student. When I reached my room, I noticed that the room was colder than usual. I also noticed the glowing ice blue eye from the corner of the room. I didn't bother turning on the light, I just walked over to my bed and sat down.

"Darkrai… are you alright?" I asked the nightmare Pokemon to fill the silence.

**_'I am fine,'_** he said. I did want to believe him, but there was a hint of sadness in his mental voice that made me think otherwise.

"I've been your friend for six years now, you can tell me anything if it means you'll feel better," I said softly, meeting the icy gaze.

**_'I know, but... what happened in Alamos Town was… it changed me in more ways than one. Before it happened, I had visited the garden rather frequently, just for a change of scenery from New Moon Island but over time, I grew to like it there. Then… over a century ago, I met a woman named Alicia. She was kind to me, yet she knew what I was. You reminded me of her a little. I began to visit Alamos more often, even after she passed. Then, about thirty years ago, her granddaughter, Alice, was in danger. Much like yourself, I saved her from death. Then, just a little while before the disaster, a group of people sought me out. Their aim was to capture or defeat me. I told them to go away. You know the rest,_**' he trailed off, his voice sounding solemn, the years and years of loneliness coming through into his demeanour and emotions.

"Oh…" I breathed, guessing where this was going.

_**'When the battle between Dialga and Palkia began, I used all my power to stop them. Eventually, my energy was spent and they were about to unleash their full power upon each other. Alamos Town would have destroyed the entire town and those in it. I did not have the power to stop them so instead, I used my body to absorb the full blow of the hit. As I said earlier… I died. Dialga and Palkia were stopped by a group of people. As a legendary, I cannot fully die, only when Arceus himself permits it can my soul be released, therefore I was summoned back to my body. At sunset, I stood upon the Space Tower and gazed down at the town for the last time. Then I left for New Moon Island. I never returned, not do I intend to,'**_ he finished. I wasn't sure of he realised it or not, but throughout his story, Darkrai had steamed his emotions out, flowing them into me. I felt all the sadness and pain he had felt while experiencing the events of the story and telling it. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. Inside, I felt so completely devastated, so utterly lost for words. So this was the answer to my question all those years ago. This was what it was like to be a Darkrai.

Standing, I made my way over to Darkrai.

"I'm so sorry. Darkrai, I'm sorry for everything," I said, wrapping my arms around his thin waist and burying my head in his chest. His emotions then shut off, as though he had suddenly realised what he had been doing, but not before I caught a flash of confusion.

**_'Why are you sorry? You have done nothing wrong,'_ **he said gently.

"I'm sorry that you've had such a hard life. I'm sorry that you died. I'm sorry that people are so opinionated about you. I'm sorry that you've been so alone for years and years. Darkrai, I'm just sorry," I whispered. Then, to both my pleasure and surprise, I felt Darkrai's arms circle around me and despite the coldness of his body, I felt warm inside.

_**'As am I, but when you live a life like mine, you cannot dwell on the past, for if you do, it will bring nothing but more pain and suffering. I have learned this, though it pains me to speak of such things, I know I must linger on for eternity,'**_ he said solemnly. Then the whole reality of mortality hit me like a brick wall. No matter what age I lived to, be it I died in some freak accident tomorrow or I lived to be over one hundred, Darkrai had the curse of immortality. This was most likely why, I realised, most of the Legendaries stayed to themselves, to avoid making bonds with mortals who would soon- or soon for them- die. Darkrai would end up alone again, with no one but his fellow Legendaries as he lingered on throughout the ages, never being allowed to slip away peacefully. As much as I hated to admit it, Darkrai really was alone, no matter how much time I, or any other like Alicia and Alice, spent with him, being Darkrai, or any other Legendary for that matter, meant being alone. With no other like them, in their case, being one of a kind could be seen as more a curse than a blessing.

Some time after, I must have began to drift off to sleep because the last thing I remembered was being laid down on my bed still fully clothed. I drifted off into a numb sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Sad chapter is sad. I hope it was okay. If you have any problems with it, please just tell me. Constructive criticism is always helpful, but please, no fireballs. Thank you if you are taking the time to read this story!**


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up to being shaken vigorously. Gasping, I shot upright, my heart thumping rapidly. My eyes wide, I snapped my head around to the person who had woken me. To my surprise, I saw the Gym Leader Erika staring at me with worried brown eyes. I looked behind her and saw a group of frightened looking students peeking around the door. Hilda and Dawn were knelt at the foot of my bed and Darkrai hovered in the corner. I frowned.

"W-what happened?" I asked, seriously confused.

"You wouldn't stop screaming. At first the girls tried to wake you, they though it was just a nightmare. When they couldn't, Darkrai tried. He couldn't do it either. The girls came to get me and I came," Erika explained. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, frowning. Darkrai couldn't wake me up. How was that even possible? After checking me over and giving me a glass of water, Erika left, telling the other girls to return to their beds. I looked up at Darkrai.

"You couldn't wake me?" I asked, confused.

_**'Not safely. I tried to do it naturally but you wouldn't wake. The only other possibility was for me to put you into the Dark Void, but natural sleep combined with the forced sleep of my moves could have put you in a coma,'** _Darkrai explained. I nodded before turning to the girls.

"Sorry I woke you," I apologised, half smiling.

"It's alright," Hilda smiled sleepily.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, as long as you're okay," Dawn said, yawning. I noticed that I was still in my clothes so I went into the bathroom to change into my pyjamas. It was only one in the morning so I could still get a decent nights sleep. I changed into my pyjamas before returning to the bedroom to find the others sound asleep and Darkrai hovering in his corner. I crawled under the covers and tried to sleep. Much to my annoyance though, I was no longer tired. Sighing, I sat up, leaning back against the headboard.

_**'Problem?'**_ Darkrai asked.

"Yeah. I'm not tired now," I replied. I reached over to my satchel and fumbles around inside until I found my book. I turned on the lamp beside me, which was light enough to read by but not so light that it would wake the others, and began to read.

After about half an hour of this, I grew bored. I shut the book and gazed out of the window. It was such a clear night. The new moon would be soon, meaning that Darkrai would have to leave for the day. When it was the new moon, Darkrai had no control whatsoever over his abilities. Once when I was little, I had persuaded him to stay that night. The whole of Sandgem, Twinleaf and Jubilife got the most horrific nightmares, including myself, that we both agreed never to do it again. Darkrai, guessing my thoughts spoke up.

_**'It is for everyone else's sake. I do not like it any more than you, Mina,'**_ he stated. I nodded in response. **_'I especially do not like having to go back to New Moon Island where my sister can annoy me as much as she likes without limit.'_**

I tried to hold in a laugh, but failed miserably. I ended up briefing both my hands to my mouth in an attempt to hide the giggles.

"What's New Moon Island like?" I asked once the giggles had subsided.

_**'You say you are not tired?'**_ Darkrai asked, completely out of the blue.

I frowned and shook my head.

_**'Would you like to go there?'**_ he asked me. I was shocked momentarily into silence. Then my face split in a massive grin.

"That would be amazing! I'd love to go!" I exclaimed, only just managing to keep my voice down.

**_'Get shoes and a jacket,'_** Darkrai ordered. I nodded and pulled on socks and my red sneakers before rushing to my dresser to grab a black hoodie. Once I was ready, Darkrai beckoned me over to him.

_**'Close your eyes and do not let to of me,'**_ he commanded in a voice that demanded no argument. I nodded and squeezed my eyes shut as Darkrai wrapped one arm around my waist. I put my head against his shoulder so I couldn't see anything and clung to him. Then there was a strange tugging feeling and I felt as though there was something pressing against me from all sides. A gush of cold air made me gasp and shiver.

**_'We're here,'_** Darkrai said, releasing my waist. I let go of him and opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings. It was beautiful in a strange way.

The trees were tall and dark, casting haunting shadows on the leaf covered ground. A large crater was just a few feet ahead of us, filled to the brim with water from a recent storm, making the stars of the clear night sky to reflect and twinkle on its mirror like surface. I looked up at the sky and my jaw dropped. Never in my life had I seen so many stars at once. They were scattered apart like millions of tiny diamonds cast out over a black sheet. They were a mixture of reds, blues and greens as well as white. The tall grass brushed against my legs in the slight cool breeze as I took in the beauty of this place. I turned to Darkrai.

"It's… beyond words. Beautiful doesn't do it justice," I breathed.

**_'It is best at this time of the year. In the winter, all is dead, in the spring, the ground muddy and wet and in the summer, everything is barren and dry. Only now, in the Fall, is it truly a spectacle,'_** he explained, glancing up at the stars.

"Thank you for bringing me here," I said, truly grateful.

_**'I have been meaning to for a while,'**_ Darkrai admitted.

"Really? Why?" I asked, curious.

_**'I have seen your home. I thought it only fair I showed you mine at some point,'** _he explained. I nodded, smiling.

"Why didn't you until now?" I asked gently.

Darkrai glanced to his right for a second before turning his whole body that way. His one visible eye narrowed in concentration, as though he was looking for something. After another few seconds, be have his equivalent of a sigh, facing me again, he extended an arm in that same direction, saying,_** 'This is why…'**_

I walked over to where he floated and squinted past the trees. All I could see was the dark outline of the ocean through the small forest. But… no. There was something else. Something moving and glowing in the distance. I stared at it in silence for another few minutes and noticed it getting bigger. Eventually I could make out some kind of shape. No, two… three… four shapes. I frowned and looked back at Darkrai.

"Darkrai, who is that?" I asked warily.

_**'My four least favourite Pokemon on this Earth,'** _he said grimly. I squinted back in the figures, trying to make out who they were. Twenty minutes later, they were at the shore of the island and making their way through the tree line. I knew who they were.

I stumbled backwards, hiding behind Darkrai in shock as the Pokemon appeared in the small clearing. It was Cresselia and the Lake Guardians.

**_'What do you want?'_ **Darkrai spat, shocking me with the amount of venom in his voice.

**_'Dearest brother, why do you treat me so? Do you really care for me so little?'_** Cresselia asked, her mental voice sounding hurt although still managing to sound like beautiful wind chimes in a cool breeze.

_**'You didn't answer my question,'**_ Darkrai stated.

**_'It has been over seven years since you have been on New Moon Island on a night that is not a new moon. You cannot blame me for being curious,'_** Cresselia replied, hovering closer.

_**'What about them?'** _Darkrai's voice turned dangerous and I noticed the long shadows cast by the trees begin to shift and swirl.

**_'Darkrai, we come here to ensure all is well. You have made yourself scarce these past few years. Since the events of Alamos Town, none of us have heard much from you,'_ **Uxie, the knowledge Pokemon, said. Her, for it was so obviously female, voice was small and clear but portrayed a certain depth of knowledge that made me stare in awe.

_**'I assure you, I am quite well. Now that you know, you can leave. Now,'**_ Darkrai growled.

Ignoring him, the four made their way around Darkrai's form to where I was hiding. My breathing quickened and my throat grew dry as I glanced nervously at the Legendaries around me.

_**'Do not be scared, human, we will not harm you,'**_ Mesprit, the emotion Pokemon said. I shakily nodded my head.

_**'You have changed Darkrai. Whether this is for better or for worse, I do not know, but I will tell you this: I sensed that you came here with this girl and I was intrigued as to why exactly you did so. If this is who I think she is, you must be very careful Darkrai,'**_ Cresselia whispered the last bit. I frowned and glanced at Darkrai. What in the name of Arceus was she talking about?

**_'Enough! Get off my island,'_** he seethed. I saw a dark ball of shadows form in his clawed hand and I eyed it warily. Darkrai was dangerous when he was this angry, surely Cresselia wouldn't anger him on purpose… right? My mind raced as the ball got bigger. Then, much to my alarm, Mesprit floated over to Darkrai, placing a tiny palm on his forehead. Darkrai scowled at the emotion Pokemon but allowed the Shadow Ball to disintegrate. Then, Cresselia floated in my direction. My eyes widened but I held my ground, unsure of what else to do.

_**'I know you have questions, they will be answered in time. Know that you must be forever wary of your enemies, Mina Euphoria, for they will lurk in the most dark and evil places,'**_ the lunar Pokemon bowed her head before turning away.

With that, the Legendary Pokemon drifted back into the trees and off the island. I was so confused that my head hurt. Why must Darkrai be careful of me? I was no threat to a Legendary Pokemon, surely? When would my questions be answered? What enemies? Rick? Mark? They didn't count as real enemies did they? I felt Darkrai hovering close to me and I lifted my head to meet his eye.

"W… what just happened?" I asked, my breaths ragged as my head spun.

_**'Cresselia speaks too much. She says things that need not be said,'**_ he told me. I let out a sharp breath.

"That doesn't help me Darkrai! What the hell was she talking about? Why do you have to be careful? Is there something wrong with me? I-I don't know what any of it meant! Was I even supposed to?" I exclaimed, throwing my arms out in frustration.

**_'I cannot tell you anything, it is not my place,'_** he said. I scoffed, looking around.

"If not you, then who?" I asked.

Silence.

"Who?" I screeched at the top of my lungs.

_**'Mina, let me tell you that you do not want to know. The truth will only hurt you,'**_ he said, concern evident in his voice and emotions that had leaked out of him. My face softened.

"Please, I need to know," I whispered.

A long, agonising silence.

"Please," I pleaded.

_**'Your father,'**_ was the reply. I stared at Darkrai in disbelief. No my father was dead. My mother never spoke about him because she simply couldn't. This was absurd.

"Darkrai, of this is some sort of sick joke-"

_**'It is no joke, Mina,'**_ Darkrai cut in, his voice gentle and get filled with regret.

"But he- he's dead! He died when I was still a baby! Even I don't remember him!" I protested, tears blurring my vision.

_**'I cannot say more than what I already have. I am forbidden,'** _he said. I had never felt so angry in my life. What the hell was he playing at? I had the right to know these things and there he was, telling me ciphered pieces of information that were about as much use as Bidoof shit!

"Tell me!" I screamed, pouring my anger into my words. I felt strange, like my head was filled with nothing but pure rage, like all the hurt behind the anger was gone and all that remained was one raging storm that threatened to destroy everything in its path. My hands clenched into fists.

Darkrai saw this and narrowed his eye.

**_'Mina, what do you feel?'_** he asked in what I could only assume was a very careful, wary tone for some reason.

"What do I feel? Are you fucking kidding me, Darkrai? I'm pissed as hell! You're keeping secrets from me, and as if that wasn't bad enough, it seems as though every other Legendary knows them too!" I screamed, taking a step towards the Nightmare King. I had never really been afraid of Darkrai, other than the rare occasions on which he released his full power against a threat, but now, I couldn't have cared less if he were a snarling Hyrdreigon or if he was about to use Dark Pulse on me.

Then, as if seeing something terrible, Darkrai's one visible eye widened and he tensed, bracing himself as if ready for an attack of some kind. He brought his clawed hands upwards and cast some sort of pulse towards me. Instantly, the anger faded and I was left feeling dizzy. I frowned and stumbled a few steps before finally collapsing, being caught in Darkrai's cold arms and blacking out under the Hypnosis.

* * *

**-Darkrai's POV-**

It had happened, the one thing I feared most had happened. As I watched the anger consume Mina's mind, I knew that she needed help. When her eyes started to change colour, from their usual emerald green to burning red, I realised that I could not wait any longer. I lifted my arms and cast a Hypnosis on her, watching as the anger faded and she stumbled slightly. I caught her in my arms just before she fell to the ground.

Looking down at her sleeping body, I felt nothing but regret and anger. Regret, that I had caused her to act in such a way and anger, that Cresselia couldn't keep her mouth shut about anything.

Opening a shadow, I floated through and brought her to the one place I knew might be able to help her.

* * *

Voices. I heard voices all around me. They weren't the normal kind of voices though, they were more like Darkrai and Cresselia's mental voice. I tried to open my eyes, but I found that my eyelids were too heavy. I asked for help, but all that came out was a muffled groan. The voices stopped.

**_'Darkrai, wake her,'_** a voice sounded. Suddenly, it felt as though a great weight had been lifted from my body and that the haze in my mind had cleared. I opened my eyes.

First, there was just light. A blindingly bright light pouring in from every direction. I pulled myself up into a sitting position, my hands supporting my weight behind me. Then, I began to make out shapes and forms int the light. Finally, I saw it. I saw who the figures were and where I was.

_**'Welcome, Mina Euphoria, to the Hall of Origin,'** _Arceus spoke. Arceus spoke. My jaw dropped and I looked around at the other figures in the room. I could make out Darkrai, Cresselia, Uxie, Azelf, Mesprit, Dialga and Palkia.

_**'Maybe we should not have all been here at once?'**_ I heard Mesprit ask.

**_'So it would seem,'_** Arceus mused. He took a step toward me, his legs hardly even touching the polished marble floor.**_ 'How do you feel, child?'_**

"I-I… um… fine, thank you," I managed to choke out.

**_'That is good to hear. I understand you have been a close friend of Darkrai for many years now, yes?'_** Arceus asked me and I nodded jerkily. **_'You have done him good. Tell me, do you feel no fear of us?'_**

The last question took me off guard. Was I supposed to fear them? I knew that Darkrai was generally a creature feared by all but I never felt any emotion of that kind towards him.

"No," I breathed.

_**'Even knowing that you could be killed so easily by one of us?'**_ Arceus pressed and once again, I shook my head.

_**'And why is this?'**_ I heard Dialga's deep voice rumble.

"I-I don't know…" I said, sounding rather helpless.

_**'Arceus, you already know it is her, why ask these questions?'**_ a very majestic female voice sounded from Palkia.

_**'There are things that must be known, Palkia,'**_ he responded._** 'Cresselia confused you, did she not?'**_

I nodded.

**_'You wish to know what she and Darkrai were speaking of?'_ **he asked and once more I nodded._** 'I must stress that this news may be very disturbing for you. Would you prefer it if the others went?'**_

I paused for a moment. That was very considerate, was the news really that bad? Looking down, I nodded again. I looked back up, and the others had gone, leaving me alone with the alpha Pokemon. I gulped and stood, steeling myself.

_**'Are you ready?'**_ Arceus asked. I took a deep breath. How bad could it be, right?

"Yes. I'm ready," I said resolutely.

Apparently, it could be very bad.

_**'Many centuries ago, I went down to your world in my human form and I met a woman. She was kind and cared for all Pokemon. My first impression was that she was very naïve and had no real knowledge of the world but I was intrigued by how she saw the good in everyone. I got to know her and found that she was not naïve at all. Eventually, I began to feel love for this human. We had a child, a boy. I had no choice but to leave to return to my duties. Uxie came to me and foretold a prophecy, that the first female born into that line would share many of my own powers upon the day of her sixteenth birthday and that she would become a great leader. Your father was the last male in that line, child, and you, are the first female born into it,'**_ he finished. My eyes bulged. This was too much to process at once. I began to hyperventilate.

"No, that can't be right! I'm just a normal girl! A normal girl from Sinnoh! Boring old me that has nothing to do with your powers or being a leader or any of that stuff!" I protested shaking my head.

_**'I understand your confusion, but I tell no lie,'**_ Arceus assured me.

I couldn't believe it. I was part Pokemon. Not only that, but I was part Arceus for Legendaries' sakes! How the hell was that genetically possible? Well, apparently it the hell was. What was I supposed to do now? Go home and tell my mum that she had married a guy who was related to a god? And what about school? I wasn't even on my second full day and there I was, talking to the creator of the universe!

"What happens to me now?" I asked, more to myself than Arceus though.

_**'You must return to Unova. Many people are worried about you, you have been gone for some time,'**_ Arceus said. I frowned. It had only been a day, if that!

"But it's only been a day…" I pondered.

_**'Time here is different to what it is in your world,'**_ Arceus stated.

"How different?" I asked warily. If he was my great, great, great, great-a-few-hundred-times grandfather, didn't I have the right to be a little forward?

**_'You have been gone for almost three weeks in their time,'_** he replied. My eyes widened.

"Oh hell! I have to get back!" I exclaimed, panicking.

_**'Darkrai!'**_ Arceus shouted, his voice reverberating through the hall. Within seconds, Darkrai's form took shape in a shadow if it's own.

**_'Arceus?'_** he questioned.

_**'You may leave. Look after her,'**_ Arceus ordered.

**_'Close your eyes,'_** Darkrai ordered. I did as he asked and he took hold of me, pulling me into a shadow. There was that horrible feeling all around me for a second, but it went just as soon as it came.

_**'Open your eyes,'**_ he said. I did, and found that we were back in my bedroom. We weren't alone though. There were Officer Jenny's and inspectors everywhere, all stopping what they were doing to look at me.

"Crap," I said.

A few of the officers' pulled out their guns and aimed them for Darkrai. I stepped in front of him.

"Miss, step away from the Pokemon, you could get hurt," one of them said.

"The only one who could hurt me in this room is you with your stupid guns. I'm not moving anywhere," I spat. Just as the officer was about to say something more, a large group of people burst in, Grimsley and Alder hot on their tail.

"I'm sorry, they wouldn't stay out. They kept going on about how their Pokemon had heard Min-" Alder stopped mid sentence as he saw me. The group of people, my friends, jumped I top of me, bringing me to the ground. The only ones who stayed composed were Cheren, Ethan and Lyra, although they all had concerned looks on their faces.

"Lower your guns!" Grimsley shouted. The officers immediately obeyed the dark master's command, clearly taken aback by the harshness of his voice.

"Oh Arceus! Where have you been?" Dawn cried.

"We've looked everywhere for you!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Mina, I swear if you ever do that again, we're gonna have to come find you ourselves!" Barry shouted.

"I swear to Arceus if you do it again, I'll hunt you down and kill you!" Hilda growled angrily, though she hugged my waist tightly.

"Stop!" Alder's voice boomed.

Everyone froze and turned to the Champion.

"Mina, Darkrai, with me. We need to talk," Alder ordered. Grimsley raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. I looked at Darkrai nervously as he pulled me up. I wasn't sure why I was so anxious, I had just met Arceus himself after all!

I made my way out of the bedroom and towards the two people at the door. Alder silently led us out, Grimsley walking behind us.

"Care to explain where you've been before the the interrogation begins?" Grimsley asked.

"Um… I'd rather only say it once. You probably won't believe me anyway," I sighed.

"Oh, considering you disappeared in the middle of the night without a trace, I'd say I'm willing to believe anything right now," the dark master laughed. I was surprised at how nonchalant he was acting. I had been gone for the best part of three weeks without a word or any evidence and here he was, laughing about it. Weird guy.

We walked through the halls in silence, hundreds of students staring at me with shocked and fearful expressions. I suppose having Darkrai floating through the hallway didn't exactly help matters. Finally, we came to a door and went through into Alder's office. Alder sat down at his rest and gestured for Grimsley and I to sit in the two spare seats. Darkrai hovered close behind my chair.

"So… it's probably best of you start at the beginning," Adler stated. I took a deep breath. I didn't even know if I was allowed to speak of the Hall of Origin or the Legendaries. They were like gods. And what about the whole I'm-kind-of-related-to-the-creator-of-the-universe scenario? As if sensing my thoughts, Darkrai directed his mental voice at me so only I could hear.

_**'You may tell them everything if you wish. We have no secrets,'**_ he told me. I glanced at the two people.

"You wouldn't believe me," I stated. It was true, they probably wouldn't.

"Try us," Grimsley said, smirking.

"Fine, you asked for it," I began, shifting in my seat, "I couldn't sleep, so I went to New Moon Island with Darkrai. While we were there, Cresselia and the Lake Guardians decided to come and see Darkrai. They said something that confused me, so when they had left I asked Darkrai about it. He said… something that made me angry so he had to put me under Hypnosis to calm me down."

"New Moon Island?" Grimsley exclaimed, "That's all the way in Sinnoh!"

"Cresselia? Lake Guardians?" Alder breathed.

"That's not the end of it," I said. The two exchanged nervous glances as I continued, "Darkrai took me to the Hall of Origin, where I spoke with Arceus and he answered my questions," I finished.

"You… spoke with Arceus?" Alder asked, eyes wide. I nodded. Then, there was a long uncomfortable silence.

Darkrai waited patiently behind me, waiting for one of them to speak.

"Alder, no harm has been done. Let it go," Grimsley said after a moments consideration.

"I know that no harm has been done but… this is a very serious matter. Mina, you were missing for almost three weeks, your mother has been worried sick. There has been a search all over the region for you!" Alder proclaimed.

"W-What? The whole of Unova? My mother! Oh, I have to call her!" I said standing from my seat.

"You can go. I'll have a talk with the inspectors and tell them to call the searches off. But there are to be no more of these midnight trips to other regions, with or without Darkrai, do you understand? Do you _both_ understand?" Alder said in a tone that demanded no argument.

**_'Of course. I never would have taken her there if I knew such a thing would happen,'_** Darkrai said calmly.

"I understand, sir," I replied.

I made my way out with Darkrai. Looking down, I realised that I was still in my pyjamas. I blushed and rushed back to my room, and much to my relief, the police had packed up and left. My friends were all sat on the beds, smiling when I walked in.

"Did Alder bite your head off?" Barry asked.

"No. He was surprisingly calm about it. Grimsley helped a little though," I said, taking a seat next to Dawn on her bed, since mine was already seating Lucas, Hilbert, Hilda and Lyra.

"Okay, you have to tell us everything!" Bianca exclaimed. "We were all so worried about you!"

I sighed and looked at Darkrai who hovered by the closed door.

_**'You may as well tell them. If they are your friends, they will find out sooner or later,'**_ Darkrai said.

"Okay… look, you guys might think I'm crazy when I tell you this, but I've got Darkrai to vouch for me here, right? I promise it's the truth," I began, earning some confused looks from the others. I took a deep breath and began, "Okay, so basically, after Erika woke me up, I couldn't sleep so Darkrai offered to take me to New Moon Island for a few hours. I said yes so we went and-"

"What? That's in Sinnoh!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know but Darkrai used his shadows to get us there. So, anyway, can you guys just save questions for the end please? I'd rather only say it once," I said. The others all nodded and allowed me to continue my story, "So we went to New Moon and Cresselia, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf visited since they were curious as to why Darkrai was here with me. Cresselia said some things that confused me so when they left, I asked Darkrai about it. He said that he couldn't tell me even though he knew so I got angry. Something… happened that made Darkrai have to put me under Hypnosis and he… well, Darkrai took me to the Hall of Origin. I spoke with Arceus and he answered. T questions… although I can't say it made me feel any better…"

As I looked up at the faces I saw that everyone, even the composed Cheren, had their jaws slack and mouths agape. It was almost comical. The silence was disturbing. I felt Darkrai direct his thoughts at me.

_**'Hold on… 3… 2… 1…'**_ he said, and as if on cue, I was bombarded with questions. I couldn't make sense of a single one of them as the group shouted over one another.

"Hold it!" I shouted, surprising even myself my volume. "One at a time!"

"You met Arceus? As in, you were actually in the Hall of Origin, having a conversation with the creator of the universe," Cheren asked.

"Yes. From what I could tell, the Hall of Origin is the biggest thing I have ever seen, and Arceus was very kind and polite... although he was kin of scary at first," I said.**_ 'Oh, yeah, I forgot to add that he's my great, great, who-knows-how-many-times-removed grandfather,'_** I added bitterly in my head.

"Okay, my turn! Which Legendaries were there?" Hilbert asked.

"Darkrai, Cresselia, Arceus, Uxie, Azelf, Mesprit, Dialga and Palkia," I replied.

"Ooh, me next! What did the Hall of Origin look like?" Bianca asked excitedly. I was surprised at how sensible the question really was. To be honest, I was expecting something more like, "Were the Lake Guardians all cute and adorable?"

"White. The floor was like polished marble that seemed to glow on its own. It was kind of like a platform floating in the air. It has no walls or ceiling and there were arches all along the edges of the platform, each with a different coloured mist inside," I explained.

'They are portals to each Legendaries' domain in he Hall of Origin. Each one suits the owner's personality and likes,' Darkrai explained.

"Me! Me! Me! What were you son confused about that it took a whole three weeks to get it to make sense to you?" Barry asked. That dam boy had a thing for asking the wrong questions, even if he did ask it with the best intentions.

"I… um…" I trailed off, shifting uncomfortably. Darkrai grew wary, directing his thoughts at me.

**_'Do you want me to put him in a Dark Void?'_** he asked hopefully. My jaw dropped as I glared at the nightmare Pokemon, mortified.

"No! Don't you even think about doing that!" I exclaimed, gaining confused looks from the others. I sighed and turned back to look at Barry. "Look… if you didn't think I was crazy before, you will do when I tell you this. Cresselia said that she already knew who I was, and hinted that the other Legendaries did also. I was confused so I asked Darkrai what she meant. Darkrai said that it wasn't his place to tell me and when I asked who he replied… my father. That made me angry and even more confused. Something happened, I still don't know exactly what happened, but Darkrai had to use Hypnosis on me. He took me tithe Hall of Origin where Arceus answered my questions. He said… he said that a few centuries ago, he fell in love with a human woman. He had a child with her, a boy, and that he then had to return to the Hall of Origin because of his duties. Uxie then came to him, having foretold that the first female born into the line of males would possess many of the powers of Arceus upon the day of her sixteenth birthday and that she would become a great leader. My dad was the last male in that line. I'm the first female," I finished.

"Holy _shit_," Barry said, shocking me. I knew Barry was hot headed but I had never heard him swear like that before, ever. None of the others seemed to be bothered about the language as they stated at me, looking even more ludicrously surprised than before.

Looking at Darkrai, I said, "Do you think they're alright?"

'Hmm. From what I can tell, their hearts are still beating and their lungs still breathing so I can only assume that they are fine, and merely in a state of extreme shock,' Darkrai replied. I have him the most withering look I could manage.

Minutes passed, and not a single one had moved or said a word since Barry's small outburst. I sighed and looked at Darkrai.

"Do you know any moves that won't hurt them but will snap them out of this damn shock?" I asked.

"Well, Dark Void doesn't exactly hurt them. It just leaves… mental scars, shall we say,' he said in a menacing tone. Damn sadistic Pokemon.

"Just do that emotion-shifting thing that you used to try and scare me with. You know, the thing you so greatly did in art? On the first day too?" I said, quirking an eyebrow. He gave his equivalent of a laugh before I felt the atmosphere change. Exactly like in that art lesson, the shadows moved violently and a terrible feeling of death and fear drenched the room. I heard a scream. I looked around at the others and noticed that they had snapped out of their stupor and now looked pale with fear, but that the scream had not come from this room. My eyes widened when I realised what Darkrai was doing.

"Just these guys, dammit! Not the whole bloody school!" I exclaimed, stomping over to him and thumping him in the chest. It didn't hurt him obviously, it didn't even make him flinch, but it gave me a sense of satisfaction, especially since the scary atmosphere had returned to normal once more. I huffed and turned back to the others, all of whom looked like they were struggling for words.

"You're related to… a Pokemon?" Lucas began.

"To… _Arceus_?" Cheren continued.

"And you have the same powers as him?" Hilda said.

"Or will do on you sixteenth birthday?" Ethan breathed.

"Barry?" Dawn asked.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, still wide eyed.

"You were right. _Holy shit,_" she said. I had never heard Dawn swear like that before! Of course there was the occasional blaspheme but other than that, she was clean.

"Um… I don't mean to be rude but… can you guys leave so I can change? I've been in the same clothes for a whole day now. Well… does it count as a day or three weeks?" I asked Darkrai, repulsed at the idea of wearing the same pyjamas for three whole weeks.

**_'Just a day, since you were in a different dimension,'_ **he replied, causing me to sigh in relief.

The guys said goodbye and left, saying that they'd see us at lunchtime. It was a Saturday, so I had no lessons for the rest of the weekend.

I grabbed some clean clothes and went into the bathroom for a nice long shower.

* * *

**A/N: Major twist in this story then. I bet none of you were expecting that. Also, I apologise for the many errors in the last chapter, but I had to upload it quickly as I haven't had much spare time lately. So, I hope you like where this might be going, and the main plot is going to kick in now. Thank you to the reviewer who pointed out my mistakes in the last chapter and I will try to correct them when I get some spare time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm sorry for how long it took to upload this chapter, but I've had a lot of homework to do. This chapter and the next will follow the main story of the games, but only to certain points. There is less included from HeartGold/SoulSilver than from Black/White and Diampnd/Pearl/Platinum. I hope you enjoy, but there will be more action in the next. I will try to upload it this weekend if I can find the time. Enjoy!**

* * *

Weeks rolled by and the incident about my disappearance had soon become uninteresting for the school gossips to chatter about. Those weeks turned into months and eventually, it was the summer holidays, signifying the end of the school year. I said my goodbyes to my new friends- with whom I had grown to love very much- and was soon on the boat back to Sinnoh. There had been no more trouble from Rick. He flinched every time I looked at him. Darkrai was relieved beyond belief that we were leaving for six weeks. People still feared Darkrai, no matter how many times myself or Grimsley tried to convince them otherwise. The students in my battling group were more accustomed to the nightmare Pokemon though, since they had Pokemon of the same type and knew they dark type Pokemon could be misunderstood sometimes.

Darkrai made sure I was under Hypnosis for the whole boat trip again, not giving me the chance to explore or enjoy the view from the deck. When he finally woke me on the third day, we had reached Canalave Harbour. Our parents waited for us all at the dock, searching for us through the crowd.

"Hey, there they are!" Barry exclaimed, pointing to the very back of the large crowd. We pushed our way through, embracing our parents when we finally reached them.

"Oh, Mina! I missed you so much!" my mother shouted as she squeezed me tightly. I laughed and hugged her back, when I noticed something hard pressed against my knee. Looking down, I saw that my mother's leg was in a cast.

"Mum! What happened to you?" I asked.

"Oh, I was just running an errand for the Professor when out of nowhere, this pothole in the ground just appears!" she said rather sheepishly, blushing. I sighed and pulled back as she picked up her crutches and we walked with the others tithe parking lot.

"Honestly, I leave you alone for a few months…" I exaggerated.

We laughed together as we all climbed inside Lucas' dad's minibus. We talked about our school year and answered our parents questions as we drove through Canalave.

We reached Sandgem Town about an hour and a half later. I said goodbye to the others an waved as they drove on to Twinleaf Town. I sighed contentedly when I entered my house, holding the door for my mother. The first thing I did was go upstairs and collapse on my bed happily. I smiled when I felt the room get colder.

"It's good to be back…" I said to Darkrai.

**_'Mm,'_** was his only reply.

After a while, I stood up and unpacked my suitcase. The year had sped past so quickly! Already I was starting to miss the others… Hilda… Hilbert… Cheren… Bianca… Lyra… Ethan…

I missed the fun times we spent in the library most of all. Six whole weeks without it would definitely take its toll.

"Hey, do you think they'll write?" I asked Darkrai, remembering that I had their addresses.

_**'Very probably,'**_ He replied. I went back to unpacking and once done, I walked down the stairs to find tea ready on the table.

"Tea's ready, darling," my mother announced, smiling at me. I thanked her and smiled back, sitting in my usual spot opposite from her on the square table.

"So, tell me, what's your favourite lesson been?" she asked, digging in to the spaghetti.

"Well, aside from the panic whenever Darkrai appears, battling sessions are my favourite," I explained, taking a bite of food.

"Oh, that sounds really interesting! Tell me about it!" my mother exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Well… we're split into groups depending on which Pokemon we brought with us, and then split into even smaller groups depending on the type of that Pokemon. In my group, there's dark, psychic, dragon and ghost. The groups have leaders, one for each type in that group. The leaders in mine are Grimsley, the dark type master of the Unova Pokemon League, Lucian, the psychic type master of our Pokemon League, Claire, the Dragon-Master of Johto and Fantina, the ghost master from this region. Since Darkrai is a dark type, I had Grimsley teaching me along with a few others," I explained.

"Is he a good teacher?" my mother asked.

"Yeah, he's really great. He stuck up for Darkrai when he appeared in the middle of the first lesson and backed me up when I… um… disappeared…" I added quietly.

"Yes, young lady, do tell me about that," she added in a tone that made me want to run away. I could face Darkrai and his weird, atmosphere-changing-to-be-shit-scary stuff; but my mother when she was angry was a whole new level of scary. Time to see if she even knew about the whole I'm-related-to-Arceus thing.

I explained the story as fully as I could, answering her questions when she asked them. I had just got to the bit when I reached the Hall of Origin when I saw her eyes widen.

"… What is it?" I asked warily.

"N-Nothing," she lied.

"No, there's something," I said, pushing my now empty dinner plate out of the way and leaning forward.

"Did… did you speak with Arceus?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes. He told me some pretty interesting stuff. Any idea what that might be?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry I never told you, Mina…" she started and my jaw dropped. She knew. She had known for all these years and never said a thing.

"You knew? You knew and you never thought to tell me that on my sixteenth birthday, I would get some weird, supernatural, godly powers?" I screamed, standing from the table. My mother looked down at her hands.

"Mina-"

"No! I can't believe you did that!" I shouted.

**_'Mina, listen to her,'_** I heard Darkrai say from behind me. I was so annoyed that I hadn't even noticed the room get colder. I remained silent as my mother opened her mouth to speak again.

"I wanted to tell you, really, I did. Whenever you got angry, I could see the powers breaking through it was alway your eyes, they changed colour from green to red, but when you calmed down, they went back to normal, like they had never even changed in the first place. Yes, I knew. Your father told me before we were married. When he died, he made me swear that I wouldn't tell you until you were fifteen, so then you would at least have some time to adjust. I'm sorry, Mina, I really am," she said, her eyes tearing up. I hated seeing my mother so upset, so all anger forgotten, I made my way around the table and hugged her tightly.

"I just… don't know what to think of all this…" I sighed, resting my head on her shoulder.

"I know dear, but good will come of this, I'm sure of it. I won't let anything happen to you, and Darkrai won't either," she said. I smiled, pulling back and gazing into the cerulean eyes of my mother. I looked very much like her in the face and our hair was the same fiery red, but my emerald eyes were my father's.

"Go on, it's late and Professor Rowan wants to see you tomorrow. Don't stay up too long, honey," she said, patting my cheek gently. I smiled and went upstairs. Darkrai hovered in the corner of my bedroom.

'You are not alone in this. Your mother and your friends will help you, as will I,' Darkrai spoke. Smiling at his kind words, I sat in my armchair by my bookcase.

"I know but… I guess I'm just scared…" I sighed.

**_'Fear is rational in some aspects, but you cannot let it rule you,'_** he said.

"How did you get so wise?" I asked, half smiling.

_**'I am quite a few centuries old, remember?'**_ he said, amusement in his tone.

I remained in a comfortable silence with him for a long time, until Darkrai noticed me get tired.

_**'Sleep,'**_ he ordered. I wasn't about to object. I was exhausted. I climbed under the covers and disappeared in a world of my own.

* * *

**(A/N: This is now a series of letters sent to Mina and from Mina to her friends in other regions. It will follow the main plot of the games.)**

* * *

_**Hilda, Hilbert, Cheren and Bianca,**_

_**I miss you all a lot! How are your holidays so far? I've told my mum about the whole Arceus thing and found out that she knew all along. In not angry with her anymore, since I realise she had her reasons. Dawn, Lucas and Barry are starting their Pokemon adventure tomorrow, did they tell you? They asked if I wanted to go, but I declined.**_

_**How are things in Unova? I have to admit that I do miss it there, the Pokemon were so fascinating to look at! I'm going to have to cut this letter short, it seems that Lucas' sister is at the door again!**_

_**Love, Mina. X**_

* * *

_**Dear Mina,**_

_**We all miss you too! We're glad you've told your mum about the Arceus thing. Did she really know all this time? That sounds like a really big secret to keep from someone you see almost everyday, can you imagine the pressure? Wow.**_

_**Hilda here!**_

_**Are they really starting their Pokemon adventure? That's amazing! Cheren, Bianca, Hilbert and I started our own just last week! I met this really weird guy though who challenged me to a Pokemon battle because he "Wanted to hear my Pokemon's voices". He said his name was N. Weird, right?**_

_**Hi, this is Hilbert now!**_

_**Hilda's only saying he's weird because she has a crush on him. Don't tell her I wrote that, she'd skin me alive. But this guy was seriously weird. He was pale land had hip length green hair! For some reason, he had a Level One Menger Sponge on his belt too. Seriously weird guy.**_

_**Hello, Mina, this is Cheren,**_

_**Since the others so blatantly ignored your last paragraph, I will take this chance to say that things in Unova are fine. Tepig and I are going to challenge Straiton Gym tomorrow before making our way to the next City. I do have to admit it though, there was something very odd about this N person. When we went to Accumala Town, there was a group of strangely dressed people on top of a hill, and this man at the front dressed like a priest or something. He said his name was Ghestis and he gave a really disturbing speech on Pokemon liberation, saying that it was cruel to confine Pokemon to Pokeballs. Anyway, I'm glad that things between you and your mum are okay. How's Darkrai? Is he glad to be back in Sinnoh?**_

_**Hey! It's Bianca!**_

_**So, how are you? We've not heard from Dawn or the others yet but I can't wait to hear about their Pokemon adventures! Be sure to keep us filled in, will you? I'm loving being on the road with my Oshawott! It's so much fun! I'm not as strong as Cheren, Hilda or Hilbert yet but I'm not going to stop trying! What's Lucas' sister like? I bet she's adorable! Sorry, I've had a few too many sweet poffins!**_

_**Love, Hilda, Hilbert, Cheren and Bianca!**_

* * *

_**Hilda? Hilbert said you have a crush on this N guy. I suggest you give him a nice thump on the back of the head just for saying it. He wanted to her your Pokemon's voices? That's… disturbing. What else did he say? Did he just leave after battling? Yep, definitely weird. To be honest though, it does kinda sound like you have a little crush, Hilda. Sorry.**_

_**The others set out on their adventure three days ago. They encountered a really weird group of people going by the name of Team Galactic. They had to stop them from stealing Professor Rowan's research in Jubilife City!**_

_**I decided to stay here and help my mother recover. Once again, she has broken her leg while helping the Professor out. Honestly, I can't leave that woman on her own, she'd probably burn the house down. Sometimes it's hard to believe she's a full grown adult! It wouldn't really be fair if I did go with the others anyway, considering that Darkrai is a Legendary and much stronger than the others. I don't know… I might catch a Pokemon and join the others… I'm fine just being at home right now though. Yeah, Darkrai's happy to be back. He doesn't mind Unova, but it's a little too warm for his liking.**_

_**I promise to keep you informed if you do the same for me! I want to know if you run into this N again. I'm going to write to Lyra and Ethan now!**_

_**Love, Mina. X**_

* * *

_**Lyra and Ethan,**_

_**How's Johto? I bet at this time of year it's really warm! Just writing to see how everything is. Dawn, Lucas and Barry have started their Pokemon adventure over here and in Unova, Hilda, Hilbert, Cheren and Bianca have started theirs too! I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I can't really think of anything to write to be honest…**_

_**Love, Mina. X**_

* * *

_**Hey Mina! It's Ethan here! We started our adventure too! Are you not going with them? Oh, right, Darkrai's a Legendary. Oops, stupid me again. How is he anyway? We got a letter from the others in Unova explaining some things briefly but not much. We've ran into trouble of our own. These people called Team Rocket were cutting off the tails of Slowpokes' to sell them! Lyra stopped them though.**_

_**Lyra can't write right now, she's in a Gum Battle in Goldenrod City with the normal type Gym Leader.**_

_**See you later!**_

_**Ethan and Lyra.**_

* * *

Three weeks went past then, without a single letter from either of them. I hadn't heard from Dawn, Lucas or Barry either and in all honesty, I was growing concerned. What if something had happened to them?

I checked the post one morning and almost died from relief when I saw two letters.

* * *

**_Mina,_**

**_This is Cheren. I'm really sorry but we probably won't be able to write for a long while. Hilda ram into N again while we were still in Castelia City, she had gone on to Nimbasa. He invited her onto the ferris wheel with him. When they were on it, he told her that he was the 'king' of Team Plasma, the weird people from Accumula Town. He said that he was going to change the world with his truths of Pokemon liberation. We have to stop him before it's too late. We've made it to Iccarus City and we're about to challenge the gym. Hilda's already gone on to Opelucid City with the Dark Orb. Mina, she has to awaken the Legendary Pokemon Zekrom to stop N, who already has Reshiram. I just though you should know, since Darkrai might know something about it._**

**_Bye for now, Cheren._**

* * *

My jaw dropped when I read the letter. I bolted up the stairs.

"Darkrai? Darkrai!" I screamed hmm he materialised.

**_'What is it?'_** he asked warily.

"What do you know what's happening in Unova right now?" I demanded.

I was met with silence.

"Darkrai! I need to know in order to help my friends!" I screamed.

**_'Come with me,'_** he said.

He took me through one of his shadows, leading me through that horrific, suffocating pressure. I shut my eyes tightly, just before I saw the light on the other side of my eyelids.

**_'We're here,'_** he said. I opened my eyes and found myself in Opelucid City.

"Darkrai, that isn't helpful! What can I do to help them?" I demanded, angry that I had just been taken to another region against my will. It was different when I had gone to New Moon with him, I knew where we were going, but this time, all he had done was pull me through a damned shadow and hey, presto! Here we were in Unova. Damned Legendary.

_**'All you can do is stop this Team Plasma from winning. You must help your friend,'**_ he said, looking down at me.

"How? Do I fight my way through with Hilda and the others?" I asked, huffing.

_**'Yes. I will be close if you need me,'** _he said, disappearing into my shadow. I rolled my eyes. That was cryptic to say the least.

I was in the middle of a huge city, with no way of knowing where I was or how to find Hilda.

Damned Legendary.

* * *

I found Hilda in front of the gym, having just beat the leader, Iris. She had to do a double-take when she caught sigh of me.

"Mina! What are you doing here? How are you here?" she asked, running over to where I stood.

"I got Cheren's letter. If N wants to free the Pokemon of the world, he'll have to get through all of us first. We're here for you," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She smiled faintly and pulled me in for a hug. We stayed like that for a few minutes before finally pulling apart.

"Come on, we've got to go to the Pokemon League. Hopefully Alder will be able to stop N from getting through," Hilda said, grasping my hand and pulling me along with her, out of the city and towards the Pokemon League.


	9. Chapter 9

The guard at the door of the league had been given a good scare when he saw Darkrai appear behind me when he had tried to stop me from going through without each of the Gym Badges. Darkrai put him under Hypnosis so we could pass through after healing Hilda's Pokemon from their exertion in Victory Road.

I waited down in the hall as Hilda made her way through each of the rooms. It took a good four hours for her to get through them all. When she finally descended the stairs that led up to Marshal's room, victorious, I stood and made my way over to her.

"Okay, now I've got to get to Alder…" she said, somewhat out of breath.

"The beam pad can only take one, you use it and I'll to with Darkr-" I was cut off by the earth shaking beneath us. There was a loud rumbling that sounded like a landslide as the shaking became more and more violent. I saw Darkrai materialise behind me just as I was about to fall over. He placed one hand on my back and stabilised me. Hilda grasped my shoulder to stop herself from falling over, and I in turn clutched into Darkrai's arm. The shaking subsided, but a large shadow loomed over the hall.

"What the hell was that?" Hilda exclaimed. I looked around the room frantically for an answer to her question. As I looked out of a large window at the back of the hall, I found what I was looking for. Without a word, I walked over to the window.

"Mina? What…?" Hilda trailed off. I assumed she saw what I was looking at since I heard footsteps behind me. I stopped walking when I reached the window.

It was a castle. There was a massive castle attached to the Pokemon League.

"Hilda, get to Alder. Now," I ordered, turning to Darkrai.

"Let's get in that castle before N does," I said. Darkrai took hold of me and pulled me into a shadow, my eyes screwed tightly shut. When I opened them again, we were in a large hall.

"Any idea where exactly we are?" I asked, turning to Darkrai.

'_**If I am right, the boy, N, should be entering about… now,'**_ said, turning to the large doors. A tall teenage boy with long green hair walked through. His eyes widened when he caught sight of us.

"Darkrai…" he breathed. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward. A second later, Hilda rushed in behind him.

"Mina! How'd you get here so quickly?" she said, breathless.

"Darkrai's doing," I smirked.

"Your Pokemon is Darkrai?" N asked, his eyes wide with horror.

"No, my Pokemon isn't Darkrai. He isn't my Pokemon," I explained, exasperated. How many times must I explain this to people?

"You cannot stop me. None of you. I will free Pokemon from their trainers and make this a better world for them," n announced proudly. Wow, this boy really was delusional.

'**_Enough! Where is Reshiram?_**' Darkrai snarled at the boy.

"Wonderful! You can speak telepathically! I love it when I'm not the only one able to hear the voices of Pokemon," N exclaimed joyously. Hilda and I exchanged disbelieving glances. How was he active do calm and collected around Darkrai when the nightmare Pokemon was this pissed off? Only Grimsley had ever managed to do that.

'_**Answer the question, boy,**_' Darkrai growled.

'She is safe with me. Reshiram presented herself to me, you see, she believes in my truths. Only I can free the Pokemon of this world and with the help of Reshiram, none can stop me!" he exclaimed.

"No! You're wrong! You can't do this! It's-"

_**'Mina**_,' Darkrai's voice made me turn to him. I could feel the horror emanating from his aura.

"Darkrai?" I asked worriedly.

'_**Something is happening in Sinnoh. We must leave**_,' he said. My eyes widened.

"What is it, what's happened?" I asked, panic rising inside of me.

'_**The people Dawn, Barry and Lucas have been running into. They have captured Dialga and Palkia,**_' he stated.

I shot back around to Hilda where she stood glaring at N. The king of Team Plasma had wide, shocked eyes as Darkrai spoke.

"As in… the creators of time and space?" Hilda gulped.

_**'Yes**_,' Darkrai said gravely.

"Hilda, you have to stop this. You have to win," I hugged her before turning back to Darkrai. Just before I let him take hold of me, I turned my head to N.

"If you hurt her or any of my friends in any way, I swear I'll kill you," I warned. Darkrai pulled me through a shadow, back to the Sinnoh region.

The first thing I noticed was the icy wind that tore at my hair.

"Oh Arceus! Where are we?" I yelled over the snowstorm that battered the skin on my face.

'_**Mt. Coronet. I cannot take you directly to Spear Pillar through the shadows, the sacred wards there prevent it,**_' Darkrai explained.

"Well, let's just find the others and Team Galactic before they use the dragons to destroy the world!" I shouted, moving towards an entrance I saw on the mountain side.

Once inside, I shook the snow off my soaking clothes and threw my dripping hair out of my face.

"Do you know the way to Spear Pillar?" I asked, rubbing my hands together in an attempt to warm them.

'**_Yes, follow me quietly. I can feel unconscious Pokemon a little ways off. They most likely belong to the Team Galactic grunts_**,' he said, leading me through the large cavern.

As expected, we came across several grunts, all of which scuttled off screaming when they saw Darkrai. It took us over twenty minutes to find the large doorway to Spear Pillar.

"Is this it?" I asked Darkrai, pausing to catch my breath.

Before Darkrai could answer, two terrifying roars echoed through the mountain.

"That answers that then…" I mumbled. Turning to face Darkrai, I said, "Hide in my shadow. Don't show yourself unless I'm in trouble. I want to see if I can sort this out without violence…"

Darkrai dematerialised into my shadow and I walked forward toward the doorway. Upon entering, my jaw dropped at the sight before me.

The colossal temple had fallen pillars all over the place and was filled with Galactic grunts. At the very end of the temple, were the Legendary dragons, Dialga and Palkia, entangled in a red chain of some sorts. I spotted my friends at the end of the temple, arguing with a man with blue hair.

The wind was howling through the remainder of the standing pillars and buffeted me wet clothes, sending chills through my body. I broke out into a run towards my friends.

"Dawn! Lucas! Barry!" I shouted their names repeatedly. They turned to me with dumbfounded expressions.

"Mina?" Lucas said.

"What are you doing here? How'd you get here?" Dawn exclaimed, taking in my dripping attire.

"Are you gonna help us win this thing? Come on! It'll be awesome! Four kids against these losers!" Barry exclaimed.

"Humph, yet another child. No matter. My plans are coming together nicely and soon, I will reshape this world!" the blue haired man proclaimed. I stepped forward.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you think we're just going to stand by and watch while you put your crazy ideals into action, you've got another thing coming, mister. I did not just go to Unova to stop Team Plasma to come back here and watch another crazy megalomaniac lose his mind," I said, stepping right up to him. Anger flashed briefly in his eyes, before locking it away behind a mental wall.

"Enough of this," he turned away from me, facing the two Legendary Pokemon. The earth began to shake. Looking up, I saw the sky hangs colour from a dull grey, to a much darker shade, with purples, blues and reds swirling among the clouds.

This man was controlling the dragons with the chain.

"No!" I screamed. On impulse, I grabbed the man's arm and swirled him around to face me again.

"Insolent little girl!" he shouted, raising an arm. He swing it and struck me across the face with the back of his hand. I cell back to the ground.

"Mina!" I heard my friends shout. I winced at the pain on the left side of my face and brought a hand up to my lip. It came away bloody. I was about to pick myself up off the floor, when I saw a shadow shift. I smiled evilly.

"You idiot… you complete moron…" I began laughing. The others looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Who are you to tell me who I am?" he said proudly. I just laughed again.

"No, not me. I'm no one. I'm a nobody. But he," I said, pointing over the man's shoulder, "is your worst nightmare."

Frowning, the man turned.

Darkrai hovered there, floating so that his head was above the man's. Darkrai glared down at him with a positively murderous gaze. The man paled and stepped backwards, but he wasn't quick enough. Darkrai sent a large fist crashing into the side of the man's head. He stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. Darkrai was about to finish the man off when a hole appeared in the air behind him, two glowing red eyes inside of it. I scrambled backwards with the others.

A form started to come out. It was massive and golden, the two red eyes situated in between. The creature roared and looked at the man before flocking its eyes over to Darkrai.

_**'Do what you wish with him, Giratina,**_' Darkrai snarled. I was sure that if it could, the Pokemon would have smirked evilly. It took hold of the man and dragged him down to the Distortion World, where its home was.

I smirked.

"Bye-bye," I whispered as Giratina disappeared. For some strange reason, the portal remained open. I didn't question it though as I pulled myself to my feet.

"Mina, you should get checked out. Your bleeding badly on your temple," Lucas said, looking at my head.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine," I reassured.

_'**No your not. I'm taking you home,**' Darkra_i stated. Before I could protest, he put me asleep with Hypnosis.

This had turned out to be a very interesting summer indeed.

* * *

**A/N: I apologise for how long it took to upload this chapter and how short it is. I will try to upload another tonight, but I can't make any promises. If I'm unable to upload another, I'd like to wish you all a merry Christmas and to thank everyone who has viewed, followed,favourited or reviewed this story so far. **


	10. Chapter 10

Ever since that first summer holiday, people in the school had admired us and tried to get into our little group or friends. Hilda had succeeded in defeating N, and was somewhat melancholy when he left abruptly.

I had grown distant during the school day because of all the attention making me uncomfortable. People still feared me, still avoided me and still flinched whenever Darkrai appeared. Lyra had beaten Team Rocket, Hilda had defeated Team Plasma and Dawn and Lucas had defeated Team Galactic. From what Darkrai had told me, Giratina wasn't happy about Cyrus being taken out of her home world and arrested. I shuddered to think about what would have happened to the criminal if Dawn and Lucas not gone to the Distortion World and brought him back. From what Darkrai told me, Giratina wasn't too happy about it either.

Over the years, my friends had matured into beautiful young women and handsome young men. I discounted myself from this, despite the efforts of the other telling me that I looked beautiful too, since I thought myself rather plain looking, and my piercing green eyes rather disconcerting.

And so it was, that after three years of fame and fortune (or in my case, fear) it came to be our last week in our final year of Unova Academy. There was a leavers ball on the Friday that Bianca insisted I would go to.

I knew, however, that there was no certainty that I would be going, even if I wanted to. That Friday was my birthday, my sixteenth birthday and the day I got my… abilities. I hated calling it "powers". It made me sound so abnormal or like a cheesy comic book hero. I was dreading it so much, that insomnia had crept up on me, and I would just lay awake in bed until eventually, Darkrai would have to use Hypnosis on me to get me some sleep.

Hypnosis was different from natural sleep though, it still left the mind foggy and the body lethargic in its movements when the receiver had awoken. Darkrai had noticed it taking its toll on me and refused to do it anymore, despite my protests. Anything was better than laying in bed doing nothing all night. There were heavy bags under my eyes and I had grown very distant from my friends, not including myself in conversations without first being asked a question, keeping my eyes down and snapping even when one of the boys played a harmless prank or told a joke.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about my birthday. Darkrai hovered in the corner, watching me intently with concern. The sun was rising, since it was already four in the morning, so I decided to rise from my bed and dress. I grabbed my bag and silently left my room, making my way to the library.

Thankfully, our little spot at the back of the large room had gone unnoticed these past years by all of the "Fans" who followed our group around everywhere. For this, I was more than grateful, even though I knew no one would be up at this time. I sat in my usual chair. I didn't have the energy to read, as my eyes were simply too tired. Instead, I settled for gazing out of the window at the forever lightening sky.

"Couldn't sleep either?" I jumped at the voice. Glancing around the room, I saw Cheren leaning against one of the bookcases.

"No…" I replied quietly, not feeling up to talking. Cheren sat in his usual place on the end of one of the sofas.

"Judging by your recent behaviour, I'd say this has gone on for a while now, am I correct?" he asked, looking at me over the top of his rectangular glasses.

Damn, observant Cheren. Did this guy know everything?

"Yes…" I sighed, bringing my knees to my chest and resting my chin on it.

"How long?" he asked.

"It started about three months ago, but that was only a little. Just a few restless nights was all, but I haven't slept naturally at all in the past two weeks," I explained.

"Naturally…? Darkrai used Hypnosis, didn't he?" he observed.

Yep, he definitely knew everything.

"Mm hmm, but he's refused to do it anymore. I haven't slept at all for the past two nights," I mumbled.

"What's wrong? Is it your birthday?" he asked quietly.

"Yes…" I breathed, looking down.

"Your scared, aren't you? I can see that much, but why are you scared?" he asked me gently, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees in a very un-Cheren position.

"I'm scared of what will happen when I get these abilities. I'm scared of how it will happen. I'm scared of hurting someone when it happens. Cheren, I'm not just scared, I'm terrified," I said, tears brimming in my eyes. Cheren's eyes softened and he made his was over to me. He had never really been one for consoling people, but when it came to situations like this, he was a truly great friend and did all he could.

He sat on the arm of the chair and placed a comforting arm around my shoulder.

"I can't say that I understand, because I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to be in your position, but I can say that as your friend, I believe that you will do the right thing. You won't hurt anyone without good reason and I am sure that Arceus will do all he can to make the… process easy," he said softly. The tears silently fell from my eyes as I stared out of the window, thinking over his words. I wanted to believe him so much, but the soul-consuming fear inside me made me think otherwise.

"I suppose this sounds stupid coming from the girl who's best friends with Darkrai…" I said bitterly, managing to smile slightly.

"No, not stupid, just… odd," he said. I could practically feel his smirk without having to look at him. We sat silently like this for a long while, just enjoying each others' company. The only thing that broke the silence was the rumbling coming from Cheren's stomach. I turned and laughed at his embarrassed face, slightly tinted pink. I rose and pulled him up, walking alongside him to the dining hall. It was now around seven, sorbets was bound to be some food on the tables. The tears had long since dried up, and despite myself, I felt better for having confided in one of my closest friends.

"So, what made you get up so early?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow when I saw the annoyance spread over Cheren's face.

"Ethan snores," he said grumpily. I couldn't help the laughter that burst out of me.

We reached the dining hall quick enough and sat at one of the tables in the corner. Obviously, the room was empty except for us so and some cooks laying out food and plates. I grabbed an apple while Cheren ate some toast. I reached into my bag and pulled out my sketchbook, hoping that I wasn't too tired to keep up one of my favourite hobbies. To my delight, I felt alright as I opened up the book and begin drawing so I continued as I ate my apple.

"You use that sketchbook a lot, yet you never show anyone your pictures. Why?" Cheren asked, pulling out a reading book from his own bag.

"I don't know… I just don't want any attention because of it. It's not like I'm that good anyway. It's just a hobby," I said nonchalantly.

"May I see?" he asked, extending a hand. I paused in my sketching and hesitantly handed the book to him.

He flicked through he pictures.

"These are all excellent… truly they are. Where are these places?" he asked, examining the drawings closely.

"A a lot of them are just of New Moon Island, but there are some of Spear Pillar and the Hall of Origin…" I said. Upon hearing this, he examined the pictures more closely.

"Incredible. You have only been to Spear Pillar… what? Once? And the same with the Hall of Origin, and yet you have captured so many details," he said in awe.

"It's nothing really… I mean, these are the kinds of places you never really forget," I laughed.

"How many times have you been to New Moon Island?" he asked curiously.

"Um… a lot?" I said rather sheepishly. It was true. Since the incident when I had disappeared for over three weeks, I had returned to New Moon Island many times for brief visits at nighttime in weekends. It was quite probably my favourite place on this earth.

Cheren quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as he handed me my sketchbook back. I started a new page and thought of what to draw. I fiddled with the chain around my neck, the one I kept the Lunar Wing on, and smiled when I thought of the perfect thing. I set to work on my latest drawing.

We sat like that for hours and hours, neither one of us saying a word as we both got into our activities.

We almost didn't notice when Bianca came storming in.

"You two! Oh, I've been looking everywhere for you two! Where have you been? There won be anything mice left if you don't get a move on!" she exclaimed. I gave Cheren a confused look and he mirrored it, glancing backs t the flustered girl.

"Bianca, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"We all made plans to go shopping today and find our outfits for the Ball!" she exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips.

Oh no… I had completely forgotten about that! I didn't hate shopping, but doing it with Bianca and Dawn together was a nightmare. Last time, we ended up going in twenty different stores just to find a pair of shoes for a Halloween party. Groaning, we picked up our belongings and packed them away before following a very upbeat Bianca out of the hall and off the school grounds, meeting the others at the bus station.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

If I thought shoe shopping with Bianca and Dawn was bad, I had another thing coming. In total, we had looked in twenty-seven different shops looking for dresses after we split up with the boys.

Bianca had a grass green dress for herself with a yellow sash around the middle, Dawn had a midnight blue dress to match her sparkling eyes, Lyra had a bold red dress with a halter neck and Hilda had a beautiful black, white and grey dress with a ruffled shirt. I was the only one left to busy for now.

"Mina, you can't just wear anything! It has to be beautiful and flowing and something that will really bring out your hair!" Bianca exclaimed happily. I was about to say something more, when I saw that we had lost Hilda a little ways back in the crowd. I stopped and so did the others. We walked back to the girl who stood frozen in place, staring at something through the crowd.

"Hilda? What's wrong?" Lyra asked, brow furrowing. Hilda seemed genuinely lost for words as she gaped at some fixed point in the crowd.

I decided to follow her gaze. All I could see we're hundreds of people rushing around the high street… and N.

"Holy shit!" I shouted, my hands flying over my mouth. Soon, the others caught on and followed our gazes to where the former Team Plasma King sat on a bench with his Zourark, having some sort of conversation with it.

Hilda began walking towards the teenage boy. The expression on his face when he looked up was priceless. I sensed that this was going to be a very personal moment for the two of them so I turned back to the others who stood, gawking at Hilda and N.

"Guys, let's give them some privacy," I said. They didn't seem to hear me though do I clicked my fingers in front of their faces, causing them to jump back.

"Um… yeah!" Dawn said, still somewhat in shock as she shook her head slightly.

"Oh, we have to find you a dress still! But… I don't know, should we really be leaving Hilda with him?" Bianca said, unsure.

I walked over to the two people. N paled slightly when he saw me, clearly remembering my threat from our last encounter.

"Hilda, they still have to find me a dress. Will you be okay with N?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, don't worry about it. I'll head back later anyway," she said, smiling.

"Okay then. It's… good to see you again, N," I said to the boy. He relaxed slightly when I was friendly to him. I walked back to the others who stood awkwardly and said it was fine for us to leave Hilda with N.

In all honesty, I had nothing against N, in fact, I felt sorry for him. Hilda told me all about N's father, Ghestis, and how he had used N all his life as a mere tool. It was terrible and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.

Once more, I was dragged inside another dress shop. Bianca flicked through the racks of clothes until she found something nice enough, and then added it to the pile of other dresses she wanted me to try on. Each one was vile, in my opinion.

I wanted simple, I didn't want a statement dress. I wanted plain and elegant and… black.

I saw it, the one I wanted. I picked it off the railing and went into the chancing rooms to try it on, while the others waited around the corner for me to show them. I slid the dress in and went to show them.

From what I could see, it was well received.

"Well?" I asked.

"Buy it! Buy it now!" Bianca ordered. I laughed and looked in the mirror. I was shocked at how well it suited me, actually. The black satin material flowed like water around my legs when I moved, but fit perfectly around my top half. It had a high neck but a dip at the back, revealing a little flesh. It had long sleeves that fitted my arms just right. It was simple, black and elegant, and yet, it did make a statement in a way.

Satisfied, I went back into the changing rooms to change. Once I was done, I walked out to where the others were waiting.

"How much is it?" Dawn asked. I showed her the label. The others saw too and their eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

"Mina! That's almost as much as all our dresses combined!" Lyra protested, jaw dropping.

"There is no way I'm looking in one more store! And anyway, I have the money. My dad was rather well off, remember?" I said, reminding them of when I had told them a while ago when I insisted I bought our lunch when we went out one time.

They nodded, albeit a little unsurely, as I went to pay for the dress. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted some nice shows to go with the dress, so I bought those too.

I was ready for this ball now. That was, if I even attended.

* * *

**A/N: In this story, Cheren won't be any more than a brother figure. This is a DarkraiXOC story. I'm sorry for how girly this chapter was and also for how little of Darkrai we saw, but I felt it needed to be done in order for N to be reintroduced.**


	11. Chapter 11

Bonds11

I sat curled in a ball on my bed, shaking slightly, despite the warmth of my duvet cover around my shoulders. The week had gone quickly. Far too quickly. The room chilled as Darkrai emerged from a shadow.

_**'Mina, I have been given orders off Arceus to bring you to the Hall of Origin immediately. It is about... the abilities... so we can ensure that no one here gets hurt,' **_Darkrai told me. I nodded stiffly and crawled off the bed, standing up straight and walking over to the pitch-black Pokemon. He took my arm gently and I shut my eyes as we went through a shadow. I opened my eyes a second later to find that we had arrived in the ceiling-less hall.

Arceus stood, along with every single other Legendary- even Giratina- at the end of the hall. Darkrai hovered close behind me as I stiffly walked forward. Darkrai floated past me and levitated by Cresselia's side, much to his clear dislike. I walked forward until I was about ten feet away from Arceus, not wanting to seem rude by getting too close.

_**'Mina Euphoria, in less than an hour, you become sixteen and the second part of the prophecy will be fulfilled. Do you accept this fate?'**_ Arceus asked me in his majestic tone.

Really, what choice did I have?

I opened my mouth to answer, but hesitated. Taking a deep breath and steeling myself, I managed to say, "I do accept it."

_**'You will remain here for the remainder of this hour until the time has come. This will ensure the safety of your friends and family during the transaction,' **_Arceus stated. I nodded my head and watched as Arceus walked away, seeming to disappear in thin air. The other Legendaries walked about the hall, conversing with each other. I felt so small compared to some of the larger ones, like they could squish me if they did as much as bump into me. Much to my relief, Darkrai hovered over to me.

_**'You look very uncomfortable,' **_he stated.

"I haven't slept in two weeks and I'm in the presence of every Legendary that ever existed. Forgive me if I feel a little out of place," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. I swear, if Darkrai could have smiled, he would be giving me the most annoying smirk ever at that moment.

I froze as a small, pink Pokemon floated over to us. I instantly recognised it as Mew, from its cat-like appearance. It smiled at me, floating in circles around my head playfully.

_**'Hello! I am Mew! You seem nice! Darkrai seems to like you! Darkrai doesn't like anyone! You must be very special!'**_ The Pokemon said all in one go. My head spun as I tried to make head or tail out of what she- for its voice was most definitely female- was saying.

"Hello," I greeted, smiling.

_**'You look tired. Are you okay?'**_ She asked, floating in front of my face so that her eyes were level with my own.

"Yes, thank you, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping well lately," I said, smiling at the adorable Pokemon. _**'More like haven't been sleeping at all thanks to this bullshit business...' **_I thought bitterly.

The Pokemon smiled cheerfully again before flying off. I turned to Darkrai who seemed highly amused by my shock.

"What's so funny?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

_**'Nothing at all. But it seems as though Mew is going to be back any second with some Legendaries that want to meet you,'**_ he said. My eyes widened and I looked in the direction Mew had disappeared in, only to see her form returning with several other pokemon close behind her.

_**'Mina! Mina! These are my friends! They want to meet you!'**_ Mew exclaimed excitedly. I recognised the other Pokemon to be Mesprit, Uxie, Azelf, Celebi and Meloetta. I smiled awkwardly at them.

They greeted me with "Hello"'s.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you all," I said, trying to act as polite as possible despite my lethargy.

They responded in kind. Mesprit was the first to speak up.

_**'You are scared,' **_she stated, cocking her head to the side. I looked down at my feet.

_**'Oh! There's no reason to be scared! I'm sure that the transaction will be-'**_

_**'Enough, Mew. Just leave,' **_Darkrai cut off the cat-like Pokemon.

_**'Don't be mean Darkrai! Can't you see that she's scared?' **_Mew said, upset.

_**'Yes, I can, but speaking about it will not make a difference!'**_ He snarled.

The Pokemon scattered as Darkrai began building up a Dark Pulse. It disentegrated when they left.

_**'Come now, Darkrai, was there any need for that?' **_A deep, female voice sounded from behind us. We turned and I found myself craning my neck to look at Palkia. The last time I had seen her was in Spear Pillar, while she was under the control of Cyrus.

_**'Yes,' **_Darkrai responded coldly.

_**'Palkia, stop bothering him. Can you not sense yourself that the girl is scared? He is right, speaking about it will not help matters,'**_ another feminine and regal sounding, voice sounded. This voice was very familiar. I turned and craned my neck to see Giratina glaring at her sister.

_**'Yes, I can sense it, but that is still no reason to be so cold towards the others,' **_Palkia shot back.

_**'You do not understand, Palkia. I have seen what she has been through these past few days, while you bother yourself with continuing your pointless feud with Dialga,'**_ Giratina snarled.

_**'Do not assume that I have been neglecting my duties, sister,' **_Palkia warned, baring her sharp teeth. Darkrai pushed me out of the middle of the two colossal Pokemon.

_**'I assumed no such thing. You are growing paranoid in your age, Palkia. Why don't you go and find Uxie? She may be able to knock some sense into your dense head!' **_Giratina growled, slithering forward a few feet.

I could tell that Palkia was about to attack Giratina at any moment, but Dialga soon appeared in between them.

_**'Enough! Palkia, drop this,'**_ Dialga ordered, moving to stand next to his sister. Outnumbered, Palkia narrowed her eyes before stomping away. Giratina hissed slightly before turning to us, Dialga mirroring her actions.

_**'I apologise that you had to witness that,' **_Dialga said to me, bowing his head.

"Um, no problem. I understand," I said, my voice sounding rather small.

_**'Palkia has never been particularly sympathetic with beings who threaten her position and power, I'm afraid,'**_ Giratina said in a hard tone, glaring after her sister.

Frowning, I asked, "How does that involve me?"

_**'You will possess much of Arceus' power, come the next hour. It took all three of us to hold off Arceus when he was in a rage, so who's to say you will not possess some of that potential too?'**_ Dialga mused. My eyes bulged at the thought of me ever having to face the Creation Trio in battle. The thought terrified me.

_**'Excellent, Dialga, now she is even more scared,'**_ Giratina snapped at the temporal Pokemon.

Ignoring his sister, Dialga said to me, _**'I believe there are some others who want to meet you, Mina. I suggest getting to know some of the Legendaries here, since you may be returning in the future.'**_

I would be coming back after tonight? I wasn't sure whether or not I was happy about that or uneasy. I knew that there was only about half an hour before midnight, so I turned to Darkrai. I knew exactly the Pokemon I wanted to meet.

"Darkrai... Is Zekrom here?" I asked hopefully, wanting to meet the Pokemon who had helped my friend.

_**'Yes, this way,' **_he said, gesturing for me to follow. Remembering my manners, I turned and said goodbye to Dialga and Giratina. I was somewhat surprised that the renegade Pokemon had been so nice to me, especially after all the stories I had heard of her violence.

Darkrai led me through the crowd of Pokemon until stopping at a small group who were conversing happily. I was about to say that I could wait, not wanting to disturb the conversations of the Legendaries, but they noticed me before I had a chance. In the group were Rayquaza, Cresselia, Latias, Lugia and Zekrom.

Zekrom, having recognised me, was the first to speak.

_**'You are the friend of Hilda White, yes?'**_ He asked me. I smiled and nodded, feeling somewhat at ease around this Pokemon, knowing that it was kind enough to help my friend.

_**'You tried to help her along with her other friends?' **_He asked, taking a thunderous step towards me.

"Yes," I replied, nodding again.

_**'Then, for that, I thank you, young one,'**_ He said, bowing his head to me. I felt heat rising up to my cheeks and smiling awkwardly.

"Hilda misses you," I said.

_**'I miss her too. She is a good human with a pure heart,' **_Zekrom replied.

"N came back with Reshiram last week," I told him.

_**'Really? I have not seen my sister since the incident at the castle. I miss her greatly...'**_ he trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"From what N has told me, she misses you too but refuses to leave his side. N is somewhat... childish, so Reshiram's afraid he'll get into trouble," I said, hoping I could make Zekrom feel better.

Before the black dragon could say anything more, Arceus' voice echoud through the wall-less hall.

_**'Mina Euphoria, come forth,' **_he ordered. My breath caught in my throat as I turned around. Arceus stood at the far end of the hall, waiting for me. I looked back at Darkrai, who bowed his head. That was all the encouragement I needed. I set off walking down the hall with stiff legs.

_**'Calm down and don't panic. If you panic, you'll make a fool of yourself...' **_I told myself.

It took me a couple of minutes to actually reach the Alpha Pokemon.

_**'You are ready...' **_Arceus said. He bowed his head and brought the tip of his nose to touch my forehead lightly. I began to feel dizzy as coloured lights dotted my vision.

Before I blacked out, I heard Arceus speak once more.

_**'The second part of the prophecy is complete...'**_

Then there was darkness.

...

Blindingly bright light. Where was I? What had happened?

Oh, right. Prophecy. Duh.

I squinted in the light and saw that I was in the bedroom. Breathing heavily, I sat upright. Darkai hovered in the corner, the shadows of the room twitching slightly. He seemed... worried. I smiled at the thought of Darkrai being worried about me.

"Good morning," I greeted.

_**'You are awake,'**_ he said, shadows still twitching.

"Yep..." I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

_**'How do you feel?' **_He asked, the shadows twitching again.

"... Weird. Like there's something in my head that wasn't there before," I replied. It was true, too. I felt... different. I suppose it helped that I actually slept fot a few hours though. Looking at the clock, I felt my jaw drop. It was midday!

_**'At least you slept,' **_Darkrai said. I nodded.

Looking at the other beds, I saw that they had long been emptied.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

_**'In the library, of course,'**_ he replied, exhasperated.

Nodding, I shot out of the bed and went to get dressed. As soon as I stood upright, a wave of dizziness overcame me and I stumbled to the floor. Darkrai caught me, however, before I hit the carpet. The shadows twitched more frequently and I looked at him, quirking an eyebrow.

"Thank you..." I mumbled. I slowly got to my feet this time. It felt like there were bricks inside my head. I grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom to change.

...

As Darkrai had said, the others were in the library. My head still pounded like before but at least I could walk on my own now without looking like I was drunk. Darkrai still insisted on floating beside me though, not even bothering about the pupils who saw us and scuttled away in a different direction.

I reached our little area and greeted the others.

"Good morn... Good afternoon!" I corrected myself. They all turned to me with broad smiles on their faces.

"Happy Birthday!" Thay all shouted at once. I blushed and looked away, smiling sheepishly. With all the panic of the ability thing, I had completely forgotten the significance of this day. I was sixteen now.

I was surprised to see N sitting on a spare chair near Hilda. He, too, smled at me as I seated myself in my usual chair.

"Did it happen?" Bianca asked. The others fell silent and listened for my reply. N just looked confused.

"Yes," I replied. Their eyes widened.

"Where?"

"I didn't see anything."

"Was there like a big thing or did it just... you know, happen?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Were you scared?"

"How do you feel now?"

The chattering wasn't helping my head one bit. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes.

_**'Enough!' **_Darkrai snarled. There was instanly silence. I could sense that Darkrai had manipulated the atmosphere so that they were terrified. I looked up and noticed that N had absolutely no idea what was going on, and that he was horrified by the affect of the nightmare Pokemon.

"Darkrai, stop..." I sighed. He dropped the tension but the shadows remained twitching. I had never seen his so on edge before. "Where? It happened in the Hall of Origin. That's why none of you saw anything. Was there a big thing? Yes and no. All the Legendaries were there but all Arceus did was touch my forehead, and I passed out. No, it didn't hurt. Yes, I was bloody terrified. And right now I feel as though there is a herd of Mamoswine stampeding about in my head."

The group soaked up the information while N just stared at me with wide eyes. I remembered my chat with Zekrom.

"Hilda? Zekrom misses you. And N? Tell Reshiram that her brother misses her too," I said. N smiled and nodded slightly.

Dawn's Empoleon turned to his trainer, cocking his head to the side. It squawked something at Dawn and N was about to translate when I stopped him.

"What was that?" I asked, making my way over to the Empoleon.

He squawked again, looking at me with a confusted expression on his face. I had understood what it said.

_**'I asked if you met the God-Pokemon?' **_He repeated, not quite believing that I understood it.

"Yes. Yes, I did," I breathed, crouching down. Everyones' jaws dropped. N made his way over to me.

"You understood him?" He asked, bewildered. I stood up straight and nodded, my eyes still fixed on Empoleon.

His face broke into a broad grin as he stared at me. I didn't know why this made him so happy. Maybe it was because he wasn't the only one who could understand them anymore.

"You can understand Empoleon? What about Serperior?" Hilda asked, releasing the serpent Pokemon.

'_**Is there something wrong? I was enjoying my nap,'**_ the Pokemon said, disgruntled. I laughed slightly and looked at N who still grinned like an idiot.

"I can understand them..." I exclaimed.

"That's amazing!" Ethan shouted.

"Yeah! What else can you do?" Barry asked like an excited child.

"Excuse me for being rude but, what exactly happened to cause all of this? How did you meet the Legendaries and when?" N asked, confused.

He looked like a ten year old when he was confused. I explained everything to him and in the end, his eyes were wide with amazement.

"That is... incredible," he said, shaking his head slightly.

There was a silence then until Bianca brought up the one thing I hoped she wouldn't.

"Oh! Mina, we forgot! You have to open your presents!" She chimed. I groaned.

"I said don't buy me presents! You know I don't like a fuss to be made over my birthday,"I grumbled but they were having none of it.

They each handed me their presents and I opened them, thanking them after opening each one. Altogether, I received a small clutch bag to go with my black dress, a picture of us all at Nimbasa amusement part, a new sketchpad and pencils and some silver earrings. N even went out of the way to get me a birthday card, for which I was both shocked and happy. I did want to be they boy's friend. It was wrong that he had his childhood forced upon him all those years.

"Thank you, all of you," I said earnestly.

"Do you think you'll be going to the ball tonight then?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"I... I'm not sure yet. I don't know the full extent of what's happened to me so it might be too risky," I said apologetically.

"But you have to go! We even managed to get N agree to turn up!" Bianca whined.

"Bianca, I really don't know," I said.

"Darkrai's always around in case anything happens!" Lyra protested.

I didn't dare mention what Dialga said to me about my rage being the possible equivalent of Arceus' own anger. If he really thought that it was a possibility, when even the Creation Trio couldn't hold Arceus off, then what chance did Darkrai have on his own? I didn't doubt for a second that he was powerful, but it didn't stop me from worrying.

"I'll think about it," I finished, not wanting to talk about the possible destruction I could cause.

We spoke about various things as we went for lunch, but thankfully, the topic of the ball was left alone. The event started at eight, so at six o'clock, after having something to eat for tea, Bianca and Dawn insisted we all start to get ready. I sat on my bed while Hilda and Dawn lay their dresses out on their own beds. Dawn went for a shower first, so Hilda sat down and we spoke for a while.

"Do you know if you'll be coming or not?" She asked quietly.

"I... haven't decided yet. I mean, there's still plenty of time... right?" I asked.

Before she could reply, Dawn came in with her dress on. She looked beautiful, even with the towel wrapped around her head.

"How does it look?" She asked, spinning in a circle. Along the bottom of the dress were dark crystals that glittered as she twirled, creating an almost waterfall effect.

"Beautiful!" We both exclaimed. Dawn seemed happy with our response, so she moved over to the vanity table to dry her hair. Hilda went into the bathroom with her dress.

"So... I take it you haven't decided if you're going or not yet?" Dawn said quietly.

"Yeah..." I sighed.

"It will be really good. Why are you so worried about it? Does your head still hurt?" She asked, turning to face me.

"No, its not my head. And yes, it does still hurt actually. But that's not what I'm worried about," I said.

"What are you worried about? Darkrai will be close if anything happens, I'm sure," Dawn tried to reassure me, but after hearing Dialga's words, they didn't make me feel better.

"Dialga said something while I was in the Hall of Origin that... bothered me," I started. Dawn said nothing, so I continued, "He mentioned when Arceus was in a rage, those few years ago, the Creation Trio tried to hold him off, and they did, but barely. Giratina, Palkia and Dialga together couldn't hold him off when he was angry. I'm known around here for my bad temper, but now, if I lose it... I don't know what will happen."

Saying it out loud had upset me more than I thought it would have. I felt hot tears forming in my eyes. Dawn made her way over to me and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. I rested my head against her shoulder, keeping my head to the side because I didn't wwant to dampen her dress.

I told her to go back and sort out her hair and make up. She gave me a reassuring smile before diong just that. Hilda came out in her beautiful dress. At the top, the strapless bodice was white and fit her frame perfectly. The skirt was large and had ruffles all over. The ruffles started at the waist in white before slowly fading into grey, and then black as it reached the bottom. Hilda had Dawn do her hair and make up, since she had never really worn it before.

I went for a shower, but I didn't touch the dress. I simply put on my pyjamas and sat on the bed, staring at the dress as it hung on a coat hanger on the wardrobe door. It was half past seven when Dawn and Hilda got up to leave.

"You're not coming?" Hilda asked sadly.

"I'm still thinking," I murmered in response.

"Do you believe that you will lose your temper?" Dawn asked in a confident tone.

"I... don't know..." I trailed off, looking into her eyes.

"If you believe that you have no self control and you will hurt people, then by all means, stay here and keep everyone safe, live in misery for the rest of your life, but if you believe in yourself, and us as your friends, you'll get up off that bed and join us at eight," Dawn said, half smiling.

She opened the door and pushed Hilda out before she could interject. Before closing the door behind her, she winked at me. I blinked a couple of times in surprise. Dawn had never acted so... impulsively before. It was rather shocking, to be honest.

I stared at the door. Then at the dress. Then at the door. And then at the dress. I stood up and grabbed the dress off the hanger.

I had a ball to go to.


	12. Chapter 12

I was ready. My dress was straight, my shoes on, my hair perfect and my make up completed. Now all I needed to do was actually leave the room. I had indeed made progress.

I walked over to the door and placed my hand on the door handle.

'Open it, you idiot,' I ordered myself. My body took a while to pay attention, but eventually, I opened the door.

Much to my surprise, an incredibly handsome man and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen were standing at the door, the man's hand raised like he was about to knock. I froze when I saw them.

Why were they so familiar?

The man had long ocean blue hair that past his shoulder blades and had two silver streaks down each side. He wore a suit that was a darker shade of blue than his hair with a white shirt underneath.

The woman had straight golden hair that ended by her waist, tipped black at the ends. She wore a long sleeved dress that was a dark grey with a deep red panel running down the middle. Her lips were painted deep red.

They both had red eyes that seemed to glow.

"Hmm, hello, Mina Euphoria. We were wondering if you were going to be at-" I slammed the door shut before the man could utter another syllable.

I knew that voice. I knew who they were. I stared at the door in shock as I tried to figure out what just happened.

I had just slammed the door shut while he was in mid sentence. I heard the woman's familiar voice.

"It seems she recognised us."

I opened the door again, slowly and stared at the two people. How was this possible?

"I apologise if we alarmed you," the man said.

"Y-You're…" I couldn't finish the sentence., do they did it for me.

"Dialga."

"Giratina."

I swallowed.

"Why are you here?" I asked quietly.

"Darkrai told us that you were worried about what my idiot brother said to you. We are here for your own peace of mind, so you may enjoy yourself," Giratina smiled slightly.

I was taken aback by the generosity of the Legendaries before me. They came here so that I could enjoy myself?

"Do you mind if we stay with you and your group of friends? I cannot say I am fond of immature children," Dialga said.

"Um, sure!" I said, smiling. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the bedroom with newfound confidence and shut the door behind me.

"Thank you for this," I said earnestly at the two people as I began to lead the way to the hall where I knew I would meet my friends.

"No worries. Oh… just a word of warning… Mew and the Lake Guardians may show up. Perhaps even Cresselia and Zekrom," Giratina said in an exasperated tone. No Palkia? Wow, she must really not like me.

We walked in a strangely comfortable silence to the hall, where I found no one. Frowning, I led the two Legendaries outside where the limousine should have been waiting. I looked up at the clock tower, and was mortified when I saw it was quarter past eight.

"Oh! They must have thought I wasn't coming!" I exclaimed, my hands flying to my mouth.

"Where is it?" Dialga asked.

"The Pokemon League," I sighed. I was annoyed with myself for taking so long, and for making the two Legendaries take all this effort to make me feel better.

"No matter…" Dialga said. He walked down the stairs. Giratina touched my arm when I was about to follow.

"Just watch. He will only complain of you don't," she said, rolling her eyes. Dialga extended his arms out side and started to glow. Soon, he became encompassed in a blindingly bright light and I had to look away. When the light faded, Dialga stood in his Pokemon form.

Giratina walked down the steps and I followed.

"That is all well and good, brother, but how do you expect us to get on your back?" she challenged, her hands on her hips. Dialga had no answer to that.

Rolling her eyes, Giratina waved a hand and a hole appeared beneath Dialga. He fell into it, roaring. It was a portal like the one she had appeared out of in Spear Pillar all that time ago.

She turned to me and extended a hand. I took it and without warning, she pulled me into the portal, a malicious smile on her lips. I gasped as we floated down to the ground. We weren't even falling, just gracefully descending down to a patch of land. I looked at our surroundings once I had landed.

The Distortion World.

That was the only place where I could be. It was so beautiful, so utterly unique, that I couldn't help but marvel at its splendour. I saw Dialga hovering above us, glaring at his sister.

'I hate it when you do that,' he said.

"You were the one who wanted to show off," Giratina shot back. Turning to me, she said, "Come, I will bring us by the entrance."

Dialga swiftly transformed back into his human form, jogging a little to meet us. Giratina opened and other portal and stepped through. Apprehensively, I did the same thing, Dialga close behind. I was amazed at how efficiently Giratina had brought us here. It was as good as, if not better, than Darkrai's shadows. Speaking of whom, I had not seen Darkrai since lunch time…

The two Legendaries pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Oh no…" Giratina groaned, bringing a hand to her head.

"Whats wrong, I asked nervously.

"Mew has decided to join us after all," she sighed, dropping her arm as a girl dressed in a floaty, pale pink dress skipped up to us.

"Mina! Mina I came too!" she giggled. I noted to myself that I would introduce her to Bianca.

"Hello, Mew," I smiled.

"You look really pretty! Doesn't she look beautiful, Gira?" she asked, turning to Giratina who glared at the girl.

"Yes, she does, now will you please calm down and not use our real names. People will grow suspicious," the renegade Pokemon hissed.

"Okay then! What are your human names again…?" she asked, scrunching up her face as she tried to remember.

"Gia," she sighed.

"Damien," Dialga said.

"Okay. My name was… oh what was it? Um… Melissa! Yes that's it!" Mew chimed.

We all walked towards the Pokemon League, ignoring the stares of people. When we finally came to the large hall- that only three years ago had looked like a mess- I took a deep breath and entered. There were a lot of stares from people as we walked in. I didn't pay any attention though as I found my friends at the back. I hastily made my way over with the three Legendaries.

"You came!" Dawn exclaimed, hugging my tightly.

"You look amazing!" Hilda exclaimed. I noticed she was linked arms with N and I quirked an eyebrow. She blushed and tried to hide a sheepish grin. Dawn let go and I smoothed down the front of my dress. Turning to the Legendaries, I smiled.

"These are my friends," I said, gesturing to the large group behind me.

"Pleasure to meet you," "Damien" said, bowing. I wasn't sure of they were going to tell my friends who they were or not.

"Giratina, do you think Cresselia will show up?" Mew asked, blowing any chance they had of secrecy. Mew's hands flew to her mouth when she realised what she had done. Giratina glared daggers at the small girl. My friends gaped as Mew's words sunk in.

"Giratina?" Lucas breathed, clearly remembering what had happened at Spear Pillar.

"Thank you so much for that, Mew, you stupid cat!" Giratina snarled.

"Oops…" Mew said sheepishly.

"I have told you many times before to think before you speak, and yet you continuously ignore my warnings," Dialga sighed.

"So… who are you really?" Barry asked.

"I am Giratina," the renegade Pokemon introduced herself, "the irritating one is Mew, and the man is Dialga. And yes, when Mew mentioned Cresselia, it is indeed a possibility that she will show up along with the Lake Guardians and maybe Zekrom."

At Zekrom's name, both N and Hilda perked up, eyes glistening with hope. N bowed at the Pokemon, showing his respect for the Legendaries.

"It's an honour to meet you," he said, rising once more.

"I like this one!" Mew grinned. N blushed and looked down at his shoes.

"Mew, why don't you see if you can find Zekrom?" Giratina suggested, putting on a fake smile.

"Ooh! Great idea!" she said, skipping away. Giratina's smile turned smug before she turned back to us. Dialga shook his head at his sister's behaviour.

"I heard Zekrom may be here?" a voice sounded from behind us. We turned to see a beautiful woman dressed in a silk white dress with a matching shawl. Her skin was as pale as her pure white hair and the only colour she showed was in her pink lips and aquamarine eyes. N's eyes widened in recognition.

"Reshiram?" he asked incredulously. The woman bowed her head to N.

"Of course, my trainer," she replied. We all stood in awe as we took in the prescience of the Legendaries. They looked like gods and goddesses for sure with their flawless features, but also with the way they held themselves with pride, honour and wisdom. Even the childish Mew had these recognisable qualities.

"Incredible… can all Legendaries do this?" N asked.

"Yes, each and every one of us," Dialga responded. N smiled faintly, lost in his own thoughts.

"It seems more of us have come too…" Reshiram frowned slightly, her head turning to gaze out of a window.

"And some who were not even supposed to be coming," Giratina interjected in a harsh tone, following the woman's gaze.

"Who's here?" Lyra asked.

"The Lake Guardians, Cresselia, Zekrom, Ho-oh, Lugia and…" Dialga glanced at me before saying, "Arceus."

I froze. I didn't breath. I didn't blink. The only movement was of my body shaking, and even then I didn't realise until I felt a gentle hand on my arm. I snapped out of my shock and glanced at the owner of the cold hand. It was someone I had not met yet. Turning, I followed the arm up to the man's shoulder of his black blazer, over his chest and deep red tie, past his neck and finally, to his face. My jaw dropped.

"You forgot to mention me, Dialga," he said in his familiar voice, his icy eyes never leaving my face.

"D-Darkrai?" I breathed, my eyes wide in shock. I had been surprised to see the other Legendaries as humans, but when it was someone I had known for so long, it was a little overwhelming. He smirked.

Darkrai smirked.

A sight I had been dying to see since I met him, and there it was. I couldn't quite believe it with my own two eyes, so I did the only thing I could. Raising a pointed finger, I prodded it into his cheek. Yep, he was real alright. He quirked an eyebrow as the other Legendaries laughed slightly at my response.

"You're human! Darkrai, your actually human! You have a mouth!" I exclaimed, excitement swelling in the out of my stomach. The Legendaries couldn't hold it in any longer. They lost their regal composure and burst out laughing.

I turned to find some new unfamiliar faces also laughing lightly.

"Oh! Um… hello," I said sheepishly, blushing with embarrassment that they had caught me acting so dumb.

"Hello," they greeted, inclining their heads. They each introduced themselves, knowing full well that Mew- who was hiding a little behind the newcomers- had given away their identities.

A woman with shoulder length blonde hair and a pale blue dress was Uxie, she wore sunglasses and pretended that she was blind, since any who looked into her eyes would get amnesia. A woman with blue hair and a matching dress was Azelf and a woman with pink hair and a blue dress was Mesprit. Each of them wore an identical red gem around their neck and were identical in the faces.

A woman in a multi-colour feather dress was Ho-oh. She had long black eyelashes and heavy eye make up. Her hair was the colour of flames, a mixture of yellow, orange and red.

A man in a pale white suit with a dark blue shirt and sky blue hair was Lugia. He looked similar in facial features to Ho-oh.

Zekrom, as expected, was dressed completely in black with black hair, the only colour was his red eyes.

Cresselia looked like a fairy tale princess, with her pale pink and sky blue dress trimmed with golden thread to match her golden waves.

Then, finally, there was Arceus. The way he held himself was more than regal, it was godly. He wore a pale grey suit and white shirt, his straight white hair tipped grey at the ends.

Not one of them- even Arceus- looked a day over twenty in both their appearance and their movements. I turned to the others and saw their eyes wide with shock as they studied the Legendaries before them, more specifically, Arceus.

"Guys?" I said, snapping them out of their stupor. They shook their heads and blinked a couple of times before returning to normal. Or as normal as they could act around the god Pokemon.

"You need not feel so frightened around us. While we are here, treat us as your equals. We are here simply for Mina's peace of mind," Arceus spoke, smiling kindly. His emerald eyes shone with the wisdom of the ages that instantly gained the alpha Pokemon the respect of every one of my friends. They all seemed to relax a little more at this.

Eventually, my friends were engaged in conversations with the Legendaries, thankfully keeping the abnormally beautiful people away from the roaming eyes of the boys and girls in the room.

Darkrai and I spoke with Dawn, Giratina, Lugia and Barry for a while.

"So, Giratina, what would you have done to Cyrus if Dawn and Lucas hadn't brought him back here?" Barry asked. That damned kid always had a thing for asking sensitive questions. Giratina smirked menacingly.

"Why, Barry, I would have eaten him alive," she said in a fake innocent voice before turning and walking away from, a now pale looking, Barry.

"She-She didn't really mean that, right?" Barry asked, looking between Lugia and Darkrai.

"Don't be so sure," Darkrai said.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time it had happened," Lugia added. This made Dawn and Barry go an almost green colour. I tried to hide my smirk behind my hand.

I pulled Darkrai away from the two before he made them any more terrified. We walked out onto a balcony, overlooking the mountainous terrain that was Victory Road.

"You look beautiful tonight," Darkrai said to me. My cheeks reddened and I looked down.

"T-Thank you. You look very handsome as a human, you know?" I replied, smirking up at him. I'm this form, he was at least six foot and was a whole head taller than me.

"Thank you… I think," he laughed. He laughed. It wasn't that strange, eerie sound he made as a Pokemon, it was a real laugh. For some reason, it warmed my heart hearing it.

"Well… I never expected any Legendaries to be here, never mind Arceus too," I laughed, shaking my head.

"Judging by the looks on your friends' faces, they didn't either," Darkrai pointed out.

We stood in a comfortable silence for a while, just staring out at the desert scenery. The sun was just coming to set, and since the Pokemon League faced south, the sky was black on one side and orange on the other as the sun began to touch the horizon.

"Darkrai…?" I asked quietly.

"Yes?" he said, turning to face me. I looked down.

"What happens now? There was a third part to the prophecy, yes? So what happens now?" I asked. I had been so caught up with what had happened last night that I had practically forgotten this part.

"You are to be a great leader. Of what, though, I do not know," he replied, somewhat melancholy.

"I don't want to be the leader of anything though! I just… I just want to live a normal life…" I whispered the last bit.

"I know you do, but unfortunately, it is not your fate," a voice said from behind us. We turned to see Arceus standing by the door.

Darkrai bowed respectively before leaving the balcony and moving inside to speak with Giratina. Arceus walked beside me and looked out at the setting sun.

"All will become clear in time. I can already sense that the beginning is near. Dialga has told me this much… I have asked him not to reveal anything to you," Arceus said. I turned back to the banister and placed my hand on it.

"I… this is just all so overwhelming," I sighed. Arceus nodded thoughtfully.

"You are a brave young girl, Mina Euphoria, I cannot force anything upon you anymore. The next decision is yours to make," he stated.

"How do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"What happened last night was inevitable, if I did not bestow those abilities upon you, you would have gained them anyway but the process may have been slow and painful. The next part of the prophecy is more… serious. It will affect the lives of everyone in this world," he said seriously.

Oh, that made me feel so much better.

Arceus noted the horrified look on my face and a feint, comforting smile formed on his lips.

"Do not be frightened, enjoy this time while you can, for I know that it will not last," he said sympathetically. I nodded. He offered me an arm and I took it. Together, we walked back inside. I could see dozens of people staring at me with envious eyes as I walked alongside the handsome man. As if sensing my unease, Arceus spoke.

"It seems some people do not like me…" he mused thoughtfully.

"No, not you, me. I've never really fit in here. They were always horrible to Darkrai, so I in turn was horrible to them," I said in a hard tone.

"You are very… interesting. I have never known a human to be so accepting about Darkrai before. There was, of course, Alicia, but Darkrai prefered to keep to himself in those days," he said.

"I don't think it's fair that people treated him like a monster just because of what he is. If they got to know him… they wouldn't think that," I said in a quiet voice.

"For one do young, you speak with much wisdom. I have seen your heart, Mina Euphoria, and it is pure. You will do the right thing," he smiled kindly as we reached where Hilda, N, Reshiram, Zekrom, Cresselia and Darkrai stood.

Zekrom and Reshiram looked so completely happy to be in each other's company. This was the complete opposite of Cresselia and Darkrai, however, as the nightmare Pokemon was as far away from his sister as possible without wanting to seem rude. Arceus gave me back my arm and bowed slightly at me. I blushed and smiled awkwardly.

How was it possible for these Legendaries to be so damn charming when they weren't even human?

A beautiful slow melody started to play in the background and dozens of people took to the dance floor.

N offered Hilda his arm and she took it, a broad grin plastered on her face as they took to the dance floor and began to waltz. I caught her eye and winked at her, causing her to blush furiously and mouth "shut up!" at me.

Reshiram, Zekrom and Cresselia spoke with Arceus. Darkrai had his gaze fixed on me. He smirked a little and stepped over to me. The others stopped talking and watched Darkrai as he offered me his hand. I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Will you do me the honour of dancing with me?" he asked, a smile on his face.

Without words, I took his outstretched hand and we walked to the dance floor, leaving the other Legendaries with a smile on their faces.

We began to dance along with the delicate music. I had never danced like this before, so I was very uneasy with my movements and kept looking down at my feet to make sure I didn't step on Darkrai's shoes.

"You're doing marvellously. Just keep eye contact and it is impossible to fall or stumble," he said gently. I raised my eyes and met his gaze.

Before I knew it, I was more confident with my steps and was moving with ease along to the music.

"See?" he smirked. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

My head started to hurt a little behind my eyes and an unusual feeling of dread spread through me. Darkrai's gaze became worried.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I-I don't know… m-my h-head… I-I feel like there's something… something wrong…" I said. For some reason, I couldn't stop the stammer that crept its way into my voice. Darkrai stopped moving and walked me back to where the Legendaries and my friends were talking happily.

Arceus, seeming to sense something was wrong, stopped talking mid-sentence and hurriedly made his way over to us. I brought a hand to my right temple and shut my eyes.

"What is it?" he asked.

"She feels something. She thinks something is wrong," Darkrai replied.

"Mina, what do you feel?" Arceus asked me.

"M-my head… there's some… something's wrong. I-I think something's h-happened," I stuttered, the throbbing intensifying.

I opened my eyes a crack and saw a look of pure horror on Arceus' face.

"She speaks the truth. I can feel it too," he said, staring into the distance.

"What has happened, Arceus?" Dialga asked, stepping forward.

Arceus' eyes became distant for a moment before he snapped back to attention. He pushed his way through the crowd, just as someone let out an alarmed cry from the other side of the room. We all turned and followed the alpha Pokemon. We soon found what was so surprising.

Celebi floated by the entrance to the hall, a look of panic across his face.

"Celebi, what has happened?" Arceus demanded in an authoritative tone.

'_**My lord, it is Jirachi! He has been captured**_!' he exclaimed. The Legendaries soon surrounded the small Pokemon as it hovered a few feet from the ground.

"How is this possible?" Arceus demanded.

'_**The humans who did it ambushed him with dozens of Pokemon**_!' he exclaimed. People in the hall had moved to gather around us in a large circle.

"Why is Celebi talking with them?" someone asked.

"Yeah, what makes them so special?" another asked.

I wanted to roll my eyes at the ignorance of the people around me, but I refrained from doing so.

Some people were really annoying.

"Who are these people?" Arceus snarled, anger showing in his usually calm demeanour.

'_**Team Galactic, Team Rocket and Team Plasma,**_' Celebi replied solemnly. N visibly paled at the mention of Team Plasma while the others stiffened, becoming more alert.

"It has come," Arceus whispered.

"What do we do?" Reshiram asked, her head held high.

"We must warn the others. I can only imagine what it is those people intend to do with Jirachi," Arceus ordered.

"They will come for Mina."

Everyone turned to the source of the voice. It was Uxie.

"They will come for her at dawn. They have prepared an army. They will come and fight. They wish for war. They wish for world domination. Jirachi cannot grant a wish such as that, but they will use him for their own selfish intentions. Mina is the one they want. They want her power, her blood. They have been watching her for some time," she said, her voice distant and devoid of any emotion.

"Darkrai, Mina will come to the Hall of Origin. Take her there now," Arceus ordered. Darkrai took hold of my arm and began to pull me along with him.

"What? No! I want to help!" I protested. Arceus looked at me with a sympathetic gaze.

"We cannot afford to linger now. It is safer for you. If this is true, and they are coming for you, then you are in grave danger," he said. I didn't have a response to that. Darkrai pulled me along with him. I was around just long enough to see Arceus transform back into his Pokemon form, gaining screams and shocked cries from many people. They all pressed themselves against the walls of the hall as they watched Arceus fly off into the sky, soon followed by the other Legendaries as they one by one transformed back into their Pokemon forms.

Darkrai transformed back into his Pokemon form and pulled me into a shadow. When we reappeared, we were in the large hall, where Arceus and the other Legendaries were waiting.

'_**We must find somewhere secure for Mina to stay,**_' Arceus announced

'_**Why not here?**_' Palkia suggested.

'_**It is too risky. If they are after Mina, they will know to look here first**_,' Mewtwo argued.

'_**They will not be able to get here without our permission! And unless any of us are stupid enough to let in a group of kidnappers and criminals, there should be no problem,**_' Palkia said.

_**'No. Mewtwo is right,**_' Arceus announced.

'_**What about New Moon or Full Moon?**_' Cresselia suggested.

'_**Again, they know that Mina is close to Darkrai. They will look there,'** _Lugia stated.

Soon, an argument broke of between the Legendaries. I stood in shock as each of them shouted at each other, their voices angry and insistent.

_**'The Distortion World**_,' one voice said calmly. Everyone stopped talking and turned to face the source of the voice. Giratina stood, impassive, watching each of the others with a somewhat bored gaze.

'**_Giratina, are you sure of this?_**' Arceus asked.

'_**I would not have suggested it if I wasn't**_,' she replied.

**_'Very well then. Giratina, take Mina there immediately,_**' he ordered.

Giratina floated over to me.

_**'On my back,'**_ she said, her body now on the floor so I could get on easier. I took off my heels and held them in my left hand as I climbed up onto her back, using her spikes as support. I sat myself on her neck, gripping onto the renegade Pokemon for dear life when I saw how high she stood.

'_**Go swiftly, Giratina. If it is true, and they have spies everywhere, they will not hesitate to attack,'** _Arceus said.

Giratina nodded her head once before taking tithe skies, I shut my eyes tight and tried not to think about how high we were.

"How are you still in your Origin Form?" I shouted over the wind.

_**'I am impressed you know of my two Pokemon forms. I am able to stay like this because I have in my possession the Griseous Orb,'** _she explained.

"Oh, okay. Like the Adamant Orb and Lustrous Orb?" I asked, remembering the two orbs belonging to her brother and sister.

_**'Yes, exactly like that,' **_she replied_**.**_

Giratina then growled deep in her chest at something.

'**_Hold on tightly, there are some of Team Galactic down there. Their Pokemon are trying to hit me_**,' she said. I felt her speed up then, and it took all I had not to fly off her back. I gripped onto her as hard as I could.

She veered to the left and I almost slipped off, crying out in alarm and squeezing against Giratina's scaled skin.

_**'They are gone**_,' she said, flying straight again.

I sighed in relief and relaxed slightly, still keeping a firm grip on the Pokemon's back.

After about half an hour, I felt Giratina start to descend. I risked looking over her side, and found that we were landing by a strange lake. The area was covered in a thick mist. I could hardly see a thing. Giratina hovered over the water's surface for a moment before bringing the tip of her golden crest down to gently touch the water's surface. It rippled but also shimmered at the same time. Then, a portal to the Distortion World appeared. Giratina tipped downwards and entered it, closing the portal behind her.

Once more, I was captured by the beauty of the Reverse World. It was, in my opinion, more beautiful than any of the Legendaries' homes. Even Darkrai's.

The permanent blue and purple hue of the sky and the hauntingly beautiful floating islands. There were even houses, like we were in a distorted version of the real world. I recognised some distinctive features of Veilstone City as we flew.

Giratina flew for about another hour before landing in a distorted version of Sandgem Town. My house was there, although it was twisted and misshapen. There was no ocean or beach, instead, where the sea should have been, the town just cut off. Each town was on its own little island, suspended in midair. There were some islands that just housed large, dense forests. I hopped off the renegade Pokemon's back.

'This is your home town, but in my world. It will be different, but also the same. I will not be far if you need anything,' she said before flying off.

"Thank you!" I shouted after her. She roared in response.

I entered "my" house and was shocked when I saw that even the furniture inside was in the same places. The only difference was that everything was in the colours red, purple, orange and blue. I walked up the stairs and into "my" bedroom. I dropped the heels on the floor by the door. Smiling when I saw the bed, I collapsed onto it.

Sleep came quickly in the beauty of the Distortion World.

* * *

_**A/N: I am so very sorry for not updating for so long, I've simply been too busy. Soit here is the new chapter and I will attempt to upload another tonight. If I don'tmanage to upload one tonight, I'll definitely upload another this week. Please tell me how you think this story is going so far and if you have any probls with it. I probably won't be able to change much since I already have another eight chapters written and my laptop has broken therefore I am doing all Thr editing on my iPod too, but if you find any horrific mistakes that need fixing, please do not hesitate to tell me. Thank you for being so patient with me. **_


	13. Chapter 13

So, I have my new iPod, and also a new computer, but I got a bad progress check from school so my dad says I'm not allowed to have either of them until I prove that I've gotten better. So from now until whenever, chapters will be written on my phone. This means chapters will take longer to write so updates may not be as frequent. So sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you so very, very much to everyone who has followed, favourited or reviewed this story and also to everyone for being so understanding about my situation.

Since this is on my Blackberry, I can't edit the chapters as well, so:

'ABC' = thought or mental conversation

"ABC" = speech

Without further ado, Chapter 13 :)

...

I woke up feeling more relaxed and refreshed than I had in a long, long time. Sighing contentedly, I pulled myself up on the bed. My hair had come loose and was hanging wildly around me, long enough that I was able to sit on it. Pulling it all out from underneath me, I found the hair tie that had fallen out of my curls and tied my hair in a braid.

I left my bedroom and walked down the stairs, not bothering to put the black heels on my feet. I looked around at the living room and kitchen. It was strange seeing "my" house like this, different and yet the same.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was empty. I opened all of the cupboards, checking to see if there was anything in those. Although there was no food or plates and dishes, there were pans and cutlery. I wasn't too hungry, so it didn't really matter, but I didn't know how long I would be here.

I walked out of the house and into "Sandgem Town", making my way to where the beach was. More like where it should have been.

Instead of the crystalline blue waves extending out for miles and miles, there was a sheer drop where the town just completely cut off. I put aside my fear of heights and risked looking over the edge. I instantly felt nauseous and had to step back.

Thousands of feet beneath the floating Sandgem Town were many other cities and towns, all twisted and distorted like the one I stood in. Looking up, I found myself looking at the underside of "Jubilife City". What a strange world this was!

I looked around at the beautiful world. Some of the floating islands had cities on while others just held dense forests or mountains. The sky was the thing I found most fascinating. It was a constant dark blue colour, with tints of purple and red in places. The world was never completely dark and yet not light either.

Some humans had this place completely wrong.

Everyone in my school- the people that even know this place exists, that is- had said that this place was Hell, with burning fire pits where the damned souls of people and pokemon went, an abyss of despair where nothing grew and was filled with monsters that would eat you, ruled over by the ruthless deity of death Giratina.

Yes, it was true that Giratina was the deity of death (Barry had made a point of asking the renegade pokemon this last night), she wasn't ruthless at all, nor was she evil. Giratina could definitely be scary at times, I had witnessed that much in the Hall of Origin, I rather liked her company.

And yet whenever someone so much as mentioned Giratina's name, it was spat out like a curse or was spoken with fear.

So untrue.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw a huge serpentine shape flying over my head. Looking up, I saw Giratina coming down to the island. I smiled up at her, watching in awe as she changed into her human form.

Instead of her magnificent dress she wore to the ball, she wore a dark grey and red striped top, a black jacket with gold buttons, black jeans and dark grey military boots. There was a strange, roughly cut, golden orb around her neck that seemed to glow with some kind of inner light. Her hair was the same- straight and golden, tipped black at the ends- and her lips were painted deep red again.

"Good evening," she said, smirking as she approached me.

"Good- wait, what? Its night time?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, you've been asleep for a while," she replied.

"Oh my- how long is that in my world?" I asked, remembering that a single day in the Hall of Origin was almost three weeks in my world.

"You have only been absent from the Above World for roughly an hour. Time isn't consistent here. Sometimes it goes slow, sometimes it goes fast," she explained.

"Only an hour?" I shouted, my eyes bulging.

"Yes. Darkrai will be coming here soon, maybe with Dialga, Palkia, Mew, Mewtwo, Lugia and Kyurem," she said, practically spitting out her sister's name. I was overjoyed that Darkrai would be coming here soon, but somewhat nervous about the others. My stomach dropped at the mention of Palkia.

"Wh-Why are so many Legendaries coming?" I asked.

"You are too important to be left unprotected. Trust me, you are no more happy than I about this situation. It took me years to restore my world to its natural beauty, I don't need a group of headstrong men, a childish cat and my blasted sister here to destroy it again," she sighed, a dark look flashing across her face as she turned her head to the sky. Sighing heavily again, she said, "it seems some of them are already here."

She swiftly changed back to her origin form and flew away, leaving me in "Sandgem". I was perfectly content to just sit on the soft sand and stare up at the multicoloured sky, so I did just that. Several minutes later I heard a roar in the distance.

Turning my head, I saw Giratina returning with some other large pokemon behind her. I recognised Lugia, Palkia and Dialga, also Kyurem from the books I had read on the Unovan Legendaries. Squinting, I managed to make out two smaller figures with the group. As they got closer, I recognised them as Mew and Mewtwo. Darkrai wasn't there.

Holding back a sigh at the absence of my friend, I pulled myself up and smiled at the approaching pokemon. They flew/floated around me as they changed into their human forms.

Mew wore white jeans with a pale pink, frilly top. Her hair was in a pixie cut and also pink, though it was a slightly darker colour to her top. She wore pink flats on her feet and had very pale skin. Her face was the very definition of youth with the way her aquamarine eyes shone bright with innocence.

Mewtwo wore dark blue jeans and a purple shirt that matched his lavender coloured hair. His face was much more serious than Mew's and he held himself with more authority, radiating a powerful psychic aura.

Lugia also donned dark blue jeans but with a white shirt instead. His hair was a mixture of blues, with a few white streaks in it, and was spiked slightly.

Dialga looked exactly like he had done at the ball in his hair and facial appearance, but wore a black blazer, black jeans, dark blue shirt and leather shoes.

Palkia had white hair that shone a pale, pearly pink in a certain light and elegant features. She wore white cotton trousers, white heeled shoes and a pale, pink, long sleeved shirt. Her red eyes stood out amongst her features but not in a bad way. She was very beautiful- but then again, so were all the Legendaries in human form.

Kyurem was... He looked a little scary. His yellow eyes were bright- almost glowing- but he had dark circles around them. His skin was a ghostly pale, as pale as Darkrai and Giratina, and he seemed to radiate a cold feeling that made me struggle to prevent a shiver. He was clad in pale grey jeans and an ice blue, long sleeved t-shirt that fit his body just enough to show how thin he was. He had icy blue hair that was messy and fell in front of his eyes slightly. He didn't look ill, but somehow he didn't look well either. He seemed... Empty. Yes, empty. His whole aura was intimidating- almost more so than Giratina- and he made me feel cold... so very, very cold that I didn't want to look at him.

"Hello," I said nervously.

The responded with the same response, but after that we fell into an awkward silence. Giratina was the one to break that silence.

"Well, while you're all here, let me lay down the rules. If you break, ruin or destroy anything in my world, I will kill you a thousand times over," she said in a serious tone that told me she wasn't joking. My eyes widened and flickered over to the Legendaries.

Lugia and Dialga smirked, Mew's eyes widened, Palkia rolled her eyes while Mewtwo and Kyurem remained impassive. Giratina caught sight of Palkia's eye roll and scowled, stalking over to her.

"Is something wrong, Palkia? Or have you forgotten what your fighting did to my world the last time?" She snarled.

"No, I have not forgotten, sister, but you do tend to over exaggerate," the spatial pokemon snarled.

"Over exaggerate?" Giratina's eyes were glowing and her fists were clenched. Mew's already fair skin turned a shade paler and she hid slightly behind Mewtwo while the other pokemon stiffened and moved around me in an almost protective manner. This looked like it was going to get bad.

"Yes, you heard me. You always make the worst out of a situation! That was what got you banished here, remember?" Palkia sneered.

"Don't you dare speak of that to me! I am you equal and you will treat me as such! Especially when you are in my home world!" Giratina growled.

"But it's true, isn't it? Why don't you admit it?" Palkia shouted.

"I will not admit it because it is a lie! All of it! You know this! You were the one who set me up, or don't you remember how you cast out the Grisious Orb into the mortal world?" She seethed. A dark glow started to encompass the renegade pokemon.

"You have no right to make such accusations. You have no proof. You are a traitor, Giratina, a murderer. You always will be," Palkia's voice was low and her words clearly intending to be cutting.

Giratina's eyes widened a hair and she stood up straight, the dark glow around her fading, but not completely disappearing. I could see that Palkia's words had hurt her.

Giratina held her sister's gaze but remained silent. She seemed calm, serene almost. She looked as though she was lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

Then, just as I thought it was over, Giratina's gaze turned furious. It was such an intense fury that it scared the hell out of me. The dark, threatening glow around her darkened as the renegade pokemon glared at her sister.

"Get. Out."

Giratina spoke with so much hate that I actually saw Palkia attempt to hide a flinch. Giratina opened a portal behind her sister and pointed to it.

"Get out of my world!" She screamed.

Palkia left without another word.

...

A man in a yellow all-in-one with messy grey hair approached the raised platform, bowing at the figures that sat on the thrones.

"Giratina had taken the girl to the Distortion World. Your orders?" He inquired, an evil glint in his eyes.

Two of the three figures smiled maliciously, but the other remained impassive. It was the emotionless one that spoke.

"Bring her to us."

...

Giratina had been gone for hours. After Palkia had left, she simply changed into her origin form and flew away, leaving the other Legendaries and me behind.

I felt sorry for Giratina- Palkia's words were cutting and cruel. I had invited the Legendaries into "my" house, not sure what else to do. Like Giratina, I thought it would be a shame if the beautiful world was damaged.

Eventually, I couldn't help but ask. I think Barry's behaviour was rubbing off on me.

"Do you think Giratina is alright? She's been gone for a while," I said with concern.

"She'll be fine. She is strong and powerful, but Palkia brought back some unpleasant memories. Giratina always hates speaking of... What happened," Dialga said with a sad smile. We all sat in the living room, since it was big enough for everyone.

"You can tell her if you want," I almost jumped at the sound of the voice, turning my head to see Giratina leaning in the door frame, a dark look on her face. "What's done is done, but I will not stay to hear it."

She turned and left. As curious as I was, I didn't think it was best that anyone told me if it was that serious.

"Well... This is a long story, so get comfortable," Dialga warned. I shifted in my seat so that I could look at him comfortably. He began, "As you know, in the beginning, there was Arceus and Arceus alone. When he was born, he began to shape the universe. He couldn't do this all on his own, though. Since Arceus is basically the personification of light and all things good- even if his judgement is strict- he needed to create a balance, something to keep the world in order. So he created another, a deity of anti-matter, death, chaos, destruction and evil. He created Giratina."

I felt my jaw go slack at this. So Giratina wasn't the equal to Dialga and Palkia? She was equal to Arceus himself? Lugia continued the story.

"Giratina was loyal to Arceus in the beginning, and was everything she was created for, but also a deity capable of great benevolence. Arceus created Dialga and Palkia, then Mew, then Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie and so on and so forth... After the first billion years or so, Arceus bestowed a gift upon Giratina and the, current, Creation Duo. The Grisious Orb, the Adamant Orb and the Lustrous Orb. These orbs were kept safe in the Hall of Origin, only to be used when new galaxies or dimensions needed to be created. Then... The unthinkable happened," Lugia sighed, a solemn look on his face.

Mewtwo picked up where the others left off.

"Someone took the Grisious Orb from the Hall of Origin and cast it down to the Earth. We never did find out who did it... Anyway, it fell like a star to the Earth, where a human found it. The orb brought him power, and he used it to rule over all of Sinnoh, Unova and Kanto. We all knew of Giratina's infamous temper and feared what she would do if she knew of what happened. And so we kept it a secret. We managed to keep it hidden from her for over fifteen years. The time came when Giratina was in need of it once more, to repair the damage in her world that Dialga and Palkia's fighting had done to the Distortion World, and we could not give it to her. Naturally, she demanded an explanation... And so we told her. Giratina presented herself to the mortal in her human form, asking the man to give her the orb, as she was its rightful owner. The man was young and arrogant. He denied Giratina the Grisious Orb... He mocked her and offended her... then, Giratina transformed into her pokemon form, and the man knew he had made a grave mistake. Giratina released her rage upon the man and the whole world," he said, his voice was hard, matching the expression on his face.

Kyurem was the next to speak. Like his cold demeanour, his voice was icy.

"Giratina's wrath was terrible, unlike anything the mortal or immortal world had ever seen, or has seen since. The world burned with her fury, pokemon and people alike with it. There were no survivors," he said.

No survivors... Just how strong was Giratina? It was terrifying to think that she was as strong as Arceus... But there was something that didn't add up. If Giratina was Arceus' equal in terms of power, why wasn't she able to defeat him with the help of Dialga and Palkia all those years ago? As if sensing my question, Dialga spoke.

"Once Arceus had managed to stop Giratina's rage, he banished her to the Distortion World for eternity, only allowed to leave in the most dire of situations, or when she was deemed trustworthy enough to be released. Because of the amount of destruction Giratina caused on the Earth, Arceus decided that she was too powerful and so he demoted Giratina to the same ranking and power as Palkia and I. After the events of Mt. Coronet three years ago, Arceus decided that Giratina could be trusted and he ended her banishment. She never did leave though," Dialga sighed solemnly.

It was such a sad story, really. Terrifying, but sad nevertheless. To be banished to an eternity in a world where you are the only one in existence... It was inconceivable.

I knew why she was called the Renegade now, and I wasn't sure I liked knowing.

...

Darkrai showed up a few hours later. He walked through the door of the house in his human form. Rather than the dashing suit, he wore black jeans, top, shoes and jacket with a red scarf draped around his neck. His white hair stood out against his dark attire.

The other Legendaries left us in the house alone, Lugia, Mewtwo and Kyurem going back to the real world while Dialga and Mew went to search for Giratina who had been absent since her fight with Palkia.

"Darkrai?" I asked him after a few minutes silence.

"Yes?" He asked, looking at me.

"Arceus said it's started... What exactly has started?" I asked hesitantly.

"Something that will change the world forever. No one knows what it is exactly, Dialga and Palkia cannot sense it nor can Uxie predict it. It is like there is nothing to come, like the future isn't even there. There are only two possible outcomes; war or peace," he stated.

Well wasn't that just great?

"How can I stop that? How can I help Jirachi? How can I save the world? It's impossible, Darkrai!" I shouted, burying my head in my hands.

"Mina, please, I don't know what to say or do to help you, but know this: I will stand by you through all of it," he spoke.

My heart warmed and I looked up, a small smile on my lips. As long as I had Darkrai with me, everything would be fine.

Just then, the door to the house slammed open and none other than Giratina rushed in. There was a look of concern on her flawless features.

"Darkrai, come with me, now! Mina, hide somewhere! Quickly!" She exclaimed.

Darkrai and I stood from the couch and hurried over to her.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked, panic starting to rise.

"There is someone in the Distortion World who almost managed to kill me a few years back. He is very dangerous and on his way here. Get somewhere safe and stay there until Darkrai, Dialga, Mew or I come for you, understood?" She asked, her voice authoritative.

I nodded and spun around, running to the kitchen. I had noticed that even though there were no plates or bowls, there were objects with reflective surfaces in the Distortion World, hence why I was searching in the kitchen. I found what I was looking for: a knife.

Rushing up to my bedroom with the knife in my hands, I hid in the empty wardrobe, shutting the door to so I could still see out of it. I clutched the knife in front of me and waited.

...

(Darkrai's POV)

We had met with Dialga and Mew, together chasing down the small aircraft that contained the man, Zero. It concerned me, however, that Mina was left alone and unprotected. It also caused me some discomfort when we reached the Distortion World's version of Snowpoint City and the intruder still hadn't attempted to attack us.

'Giratina, there is something wrong here,' I said to her.

'Yes, he hasn't attempted to attack any of us yet,' she replied, her red eyes narrowing.

'Wait a moment...' Dialga insisted. He flew at top speed towards the aircraft, opening his jaws and clamping. Them down upon the end. Except he didn't.

Rather than crushing metal and wires beneath his teeth, his jaws simply snapped shut, completely through the ship.

We all stopped chasing the trip.

An illusion.

We had allowed ourselves to be tricked by the man.

My one visible eye widened as I met the others' gazes.

'Mina!'

...

(Mina's POV)

Footsteps. They were quiet, but I heard them. They were in the house. They were coming up the stairs.

The door to the bathroom opened.

Footsteps inside.

The door closed.

The door to the guest room opened.

Footsteps inside.

The door closed.

The door to my mother's bedroom opened.

Footsteps inside.

The door closed.

The door to my room opened.

Footsteps inside.

The door didn't close.

I held my breath and looked out from the small opening in the door. I could see the back of his grey head and yellow all in one.

"There is nowhere else to hide, little girl. I know you're in here," he said, turning towards the wardrobe.

I could feel my pulse in my ears as he came closer and closer to the wardrobe.

When he was about two feet away, I gathered all my courage and charged out of the wardrobe, the kitchen knife held out in front of me.

I slashed at him, tearing through his clothing and deep into the skin of his shoulder.

The man cried out and used his uninjured arm to grab for me as blood poured out of his shoulder. He caught hold of my loose hair and pulled.

I screamed and slashed again with the knife. I missed. The man then grabbed my wrist and twisted it, making me cry out in pain and drop the knife.

"No! Let me go, you bastard! Let me go!" I screamed, panic setting in.

I kicked at his legs, but the heavy material of the dress restricted my movements slightly and made it easier for him to dodge.

He dragged my out of the room and down the stairs, kicking and screaming, all the while blood poured out of his shoulder.

He pulled me out of the house and towards an aircraft of some sort that seemed to imitate Giratina. Not too gently, he threw me inside behind the pilot's seat.

Before getting in himself, he tied my hands together with rope that he had retrieved from under his seat. Once he was seated, I felt the ship lurch forward as we took off.

"Let me go, or I swear I will make your life a living hell!" I threatened. The man chuckled darkly.

"I don't think so, girl," was his reply.

"Alright, you asked for it," I said. I began to kick his chair, jerking it forward with each kick.

I heard him sigh in irritation, but I didn't stop.

'Darkrai, please find me...'


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I just want to say, that if you have stuck withbthis story for sibling and are still reading, thank you so, so much. It makes me feel like my work is appreciated, even of I don't get many reviews. I'm not going to nag you for reviews, but I genuinely care about your opinions othy his story.

I don't knowlegend I'm going to get my iPod or computer, but just bear eigh me for achapter or two. Thank you for being so understanding.

…

I awoke to being jolted forward. Opening my eyes, I tried to peek out of the window of the small aircraft. The only thing visible was the snowy peak of a mountain. The hatch opened and the man hopped out. He looked to his right and gestured for someone to come over.

"Take her to the lords," he said. I frowned. Lords? That's what they were calling themselves? I was pulled out of my thoughts when two pairs of arms pulled me out of the back. They wore completely black uniforms, but looking around, I could tell . They took one arm each.

"Hurry up!" one commanded.

"Piss off!" I snapped.

He elbowed me in my stomach. I doubled over and they used this to their advantage, pulling me along as I recovered. They took me through large caverns- all of which were heavily guarded- and deep into the mountain. I shivered as it became cold, but part of that shivering was from fear also. Eventually, we came to a doorway that was guarded by several grunts. When we entered, my my jaw dropped as I registered what I was seeing.

Sat in thrones, at the end of the flame-lit hall, were the leaders of Team Galactic, Team Plasma and Team Rocket.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath. The grunts pulled me forward until I was at the base of some steps.

The Team Leaders dismissed the grunts.

"At last… you are quite a difficult person to get hold of," Giovanni smirked. I glared.

"Obviously not difficult enough," I said icily. He chuckled.

"She has fire inside her… this could be more interesting than we thought," Ghetsis spoke. I despised this man for what he did to N, who I now considered one of my friends, I despised him for his cruelty.

"Shut the fuck up and tell me what the bloody hell you want with me!" I shouted.

The smirks were wiped clean off the mens' faces.

"While you are here you will learn only to speak when needed," Cyrus said, his tone emotionless.

"Fuck you. You had me kidnapped, so I'm going to do everything I can to make this as hard as possible for you. Now tell me what the hell you want," I demanded.

"Your power," Giovanni grinned menacingly, sending chills through my body.

"Even I don't know how to use that," I snapped.

"Our scientists have their theories. They believe that your abilities are exactly like that of a Pokemon… instinctual, shall we say. Your human part is what blocks out that power," Ghetsis explained.

"You can't change the fact that I'm human!" I exclaimed, panic swelling in my gut.

"No, but we can take your blood, isolate the genes of Arceus and create a whole other being, one that is more powerful than all the Legendaries, more powerful than even himself!" Giovanni laughed manically.

As soon as Giovanni mentioned the Legendaries, my mind snapped to Jirachi.

"Where's Jirachi?" I demanded.

"Oh, he's safe. He will be ready to grant us our wishes very soon," Ghetsis' evil smirk returned.

My eyes widened in horror. With Jirachi's abilities, they could bend the whole world to their will…

"Take her to a cell," Cyrus ordered. Within a second, two Galactic grunts appeared by my side and pulled me out off the room.

'Darkrai… please find me…'

…

~Darkrai's POV~

'She has been taken? How is this possible?' Arceus' furious voice boomed through the hall of origin.

'Zero.'

This one word made the whole hall fall silent. Everyone here, including myself, knew of what the human Zero had done. He had caused much damage to the Distortion World and almost destroyed a whole town, as well as nearly destroying Giratina. There were few mortals that we Legendaries were wary if, but Zero was definitely one of them. His high level of intellect was not something to be toyed with.

'I can feel Jirachi's life… it is slipping away slowly… they are poisoning him with something, a toxin that will make him unable to deny the wishes of these evil humans. We must hurry, or it will be too late,' Arceus said solemnly.

The silence over the hall was long and heavy, not a single one of us wanting to speak up. Eventually, I made a suggestion.

'Go to the humans,' I said. All eyes turned to me.

'Elaborate, Darkrai,' Arceus encouraged. I bowed my head and continued.

'Uxie predicted a war, so a war is coming. The least we can do is help the humans battle. With us on their side, we should be able to destroy these villains once and for all,' I finished.

'There are reasons we Legendaries have never gone to war, Darkrai, you know this,' Zekrom spoke.

'Maybe so, but he has a point. We have each participated in our own battles, have we not? Why not one more?' Terrakoin said.

'I agree with Darkrai. Let us wipe that filth from that world and let that be the end of it!' Raikou growled.

'And what of the death? If we join in this battle, there will be unnecessary blood spilled!' Celebi exclaimed.

'It will save countless others though and shorten the war considerably!' Cresselia said. I looked over at my sister in shock. We had never, in our many centuries of life, agreed on something before. She smiled slightly at me. I blinked and snapped back to attention.

'Arceus, your choice is the final one,' Dialga said, turning to our maker.

'Darkrai, take Giratina and Kyurem to Johto and find her. In three days, if this continues and Mina is not freed, we will all go as one to the Pokemon League of Unova,' Arceus said. I bowed respectively and left the hall, Giratina and Kyurem close behind.

…

(Mina's POV)

I sat on the stone slab in my cell, curled in a ball and shivering from the cold.

'Why can't I figure out how to use these damn abilities? I've got them now so I may as well use them!' I thought to myself.

I closed my eyes in concentration. My head throbbed as I searched for that part of me that wasn't there before… the part that meant I could speak to Pokemon… the part that came from Arceus. I noticed a faint ringing in my ears but I ignored it. I continued my search.

…

"My lords, shall we begin the tests?" the grunt asked.

Ghestis smiled evilly and turned to glance at his coworkers. Giovanni held a similar expression in his face whereas Cyrus remained impassive.

"Do it," the sage ordered.

…

My concentration was broken when the cell door slid open.

'Damn, I was close too…' I thought bitterly. Just a few more minutes and I could have been on my way out of here.

It was two grunts and a scientist who walked in. They had hand cuffs.

"Come with us now, little girl. Time for us to see what's in your blood," the scientist said. My eyes widened and I scrambled off the bed, running to stand in the corner. The grunts came for me with the handcuffs.

I punched the closest one in his nose. While he was distracted, I kneed the other one in his groin, making him double over. When I thought I had won, several more grunts came rushing into the cell. Soon, no matter how much I fought against them, I was overpowered. They dragged me from my cell, deeper inside the mountain.

…

(Darkrai's POV)

Once we arrived in Johto, we changed into our human form. From what I could recall from past visits to this region, we were in Blackthorn city. I turned to Giratina and Kyurem.

"Where do we start?" Giratina asked.

"There is a gym leader from Mina's school here, she has met me before. I will ask her to tell the Elite Four and Champion of this region about the possibility of an attack," I said.

The others nodded and we walked to the edge of the city, where we came to a large body of water. I could only just make out the entrance to the cave in the other side.

Kyurem simply bent down and touched the surface of the water with a finger, causing it to slowly turn to ice. Once it was all solid, we walked across the frozen lake. We entered the cave and examined the surroundings.

The cavern was large and damp, another large lake in the middle with a building of some sort in the center. I could hear the cries of the Dratini from all the way where we were. I led the other's to the body of water, and found the Gym Leader, Clair, standing by the waters edge, staring out at the hut in the middle of the lake.

"Leader Clair?" I asked. The woman turned and frowned when she saw us.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her tone hard and unfriendly.

"I require your assistance," I stated. She still did not recognise me.

"Who are you three?" she asked, turning to face us full on and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You would not believe us if we told you," Giratina spoke.

"Try me," she challenged.

"I am Darkrai, and this is Giratina and Kyurem," I sighed. She barked a harsh laugh.

"No, you were right, I don't believe you. Take a hike, kids, only Dragon Tamers can come in here," she turned away from us once more.

I was starting to wonder if Arceus had made a mistake by sending three, very impatient Legendaries on an important mission like this, or whether that was his plan all along.

"Clair. This is important, if you do not listen to us and warn the Champion and the Elite Four, thousands of people could die and war could break out!" I shouted at the woman. She turned to us again.

"What am I supposed to say, huh? That three delusional teenagers decided to role-play the part of Legendaries? Sorry, kid, not happening," she said.

That was it. I shifted back to my Pokemon form. The woman's eyes widened and she stepped backwards, onto the wooden dock that stretched out over the water.

I heard a growl from behind me, and I noticed that the other's had changed back into their forms too. Clair's eyes were wide in shock and awe, but surprisingly, no fear.

'Now do you believe us?' I asked, changing back to my human form. Giratina and Kyurem followed suit.

"Yeah. Yeah I believe you…" she said quietly.

"Will you help us?" Giratina asked.

"Yes…" she replied after a moment.

We explained all that had happened and what was planned.

…

(Mina's POV)

I didn't know for sure what they had done to me. I didn't know for sure how they had caused so much pain in my body. I didn't know at all when they had finished or when they had taken me back to the cell. All I knew was that I was in serious pain. I was having trouble breathing, since every time I inhaled I felt as though I was breathing in fire. I slipped in and out of consciousness many times, never fully sleeping due to the unbearable pain in my body.

"Sir, do we take the girl or leave her?" I was vaguely aware of a conversation outside.

"Cyrus, do we have any need for her?" I shivered when I heard Ghestis' voice.

"No. We have all the information we need. Pack up the samples and data and leave her here. She'll be dead in the morning anyway," was the reply.

I felt fear start to swell inside of me, but this was only a fleeting emotion, as I registered the sheer amount of pain I was in. Maybe death wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Hmm, alright. I'm not too sure about her being dead though. We already know that the Legendaries know of this location. They will be here soon," Giovanni stated.

"Darkrai will do anything to protect her. He won't risk coming after us while there was a possibility she wouldn't make it," another person said. This voice… I recognised it from somewhere.

"Then we had better get a move on," Giovanni interjected.

The last thing I heard was the footsteps receding. If it was true, and Darkrai really was coming for me, then I was determined to hold on for a little longer, if only so I could see him one last time…

…

(Darkrai's POV)

Mt. Silver was close. Lance and the Elite Four had been warned by Clair and now all of the gym leaders were on high alert all over Kanto and Johto. Giratina and Kyurem were following close behind me.

"Something isn't right… it's too quiet here," Giratina said, eying the area suspiciously.

I nodded in understanding. She was right. Ever since we had set foot on the route, there had been a strange feeling about the area.

"Can you sense anyone?" I asked her, knowing that she would be able to sense any life forms in the mountain since she was the deity of death.

Closing her eyes in concentration, she was silent for a few minutes before saying, "There is nothing… not even Pokemon… the mountain is empty… wait!"

"What is it?" I asked, stepping towards her.

"There's a faint life force, deep within the mountain… it is both powerful and weak… like… like its about to die," Giratina's eyes snapped open and she stared at me with a serious gaze. "I think it's Mina."

I immediately snapped to attention. Shifting back to my Pokemon form, I disappeared into a shadow.

"Darkrai! Wait!" Giratina's voice echoed.

I didn't register what she said properly, I simply delved deeper into the darkness, searching for that familiar life source before it winked out for good.

'Hold on Mina, please hold on…'

…

'Arceus, it has been three days,' Dialga stated, turning his late head to face me.

I said nothing, remaining still as a statue as I thought over the situation.

This was it then. The humans had declared war against the Legendaries. They had captured one of our own and taken my only living descendant.

'Arceus?' Mew's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

'We will go to the humans. They must be warned,' I said, taking a step forward.

'All of us?' Palkia questioned.

'Yes, each and every one of us that remains. Darkrai will find Mina and return to us. The humans are planning something, and I fear it has already begun,' was all I said before teleporting out of the hall, the Legendaries close behind.

War was coming.

…

(Mina's POV)

'Mina! Mina!' there was a voice. A beautiful voice calling me from somewhere in the darkness, beckoning me to join it in the void.

'Mina!' this voice… it was the one I had been waiting for, the one I had held onto life for. I struggled to open my eyes fully, having even more trouble to just get them to focus on my surroundings.

I immediately noticed the ice blue eyes gazing into my soul. My heart fluttered with joy and my mouth opened.

"Dar… krai…" I rasped.

'No, don't you dare slip away now. Not now!' he demanded.

It broke my heart to look into his pleading eyes, but I knew I couldn't give him what he asked for. I had done what I wanted, I had seen him one last time.

"I'm… sorry…"

After speaking my final words, I finally allowed myself to slip into the welcoming arms of the darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

BONDSA/N: here it is! Sorry it took so long, but I went on holiday. I did do some writing while there, but did the majority on the way back. Can I just ask, was Giratina's story plausible? She's going to play a big part in a later chapter so it's kind of important that I know. I don't think it says anywhere what Giratina was actually banished for, other than for her violence. So please, I you could tell me in a PM or a review if it seemed good enough, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you of you have taken the time to read his long note.

…

(Darkrai's POV)

As I saw her eyes close, anger and grief welled up inside me. Gone. That was all I could think of. I didn't even notice the others come inside the cell.

"Darkrai! Don't you ever…" Giratina trailed off when she saw the girl in front of me.

I didn't even register her words, I simply stared at the broken girl before me. Her face was bloody and battered, she was dressed in a white shift which was also blood stained, her bare arms and legs pale and bruised with cuts and scrapes of various sizes all over. I also noticed that her left hand was mangled and deformed, like it had been severely broken. The sight enraged me.

"Darkrai… we have to get her to Unova now. Arceus can heal her," Kyurem said.

'She is gone,' I said bitterly.

"Are you so blind with grief and rage that you cannot feel if? Can you not feel that last flicker of light left inside her? She is part Legendary, and we cannot die without Arceus permitting it," Giratina explained. I turned back to them, a glimmer of hope igniting itself inside of me.

'She can be saved?' I asked incredulously.

"Yes, but we must hurry. She is barely holding on," Kyurem replied.

I spun back around to face Mina as she may in the cold slab. She looked so… lifeless. As I concentrated, pushing aside the fury and hate, I did notice that dim life inside her. I picked her up in my arms and noticed that she wasn't even breathing. Without waiting for the others, I rushed inside a shadow, making my way to the Pokemon league of Unova.

…

"You know our wish," Giovanni stated, a malicious smirk on his face.

"Make it a reality," Cyrus added, his face ever emotionless.

"And we will make the world crumble at our feet," Ghestis allowed an evil grin to contort his face into a terrifying mask.

Jirachi had no choice but to obey, they had filled him with so many poisons and toxins that he no longer had the energy to object.

All he could do was grant their wish.

…

(Arceus' POV)

We appeared at sunrise by the exit of victory road, myself at the lead and each of the Legendaries- save Darkrai, Giratina, Kyurem and Jirachi- behind me, all of us in our human form. Apparently, several people had seen us coming, because there was a large group of people by the entrance to the main hall of the building. I recognised them as the Champion, the Elite Four, the Gym Leaders of Unova and Mina's friends.

The jaws of the people dropped as they saw us approach.

"Greetings, children of Unova, I come with grave news," I began.

"If you don't mind me asking… who are you lot exactly?" the Champion, Alder, asked sheepishly, a confused expression on his face.

"I am Arceus, and these," I stretched my arms out to my sides, gesturing to the others, "are the Legendaries of the universe."

If they were not surprised before, it was safe to say they were now.

"Wait… what? Weren't you at the ball?" he asked, looking both confused and shocked.

"Indeed I was. As were a small number of us. Every one of us other than Jirachi, Darkrai, Giratina and Kyurem are here. There is much to discuss," I said.

And so it began.

…

(Darkrai's POV)

'Darkrai, stop!' Giratina shouted after me as she changed back into her Pokemon form. Kyurem followed suit. They both knew I was going straight to the Pokemon League. I didn't bother turning back as I ventured deeper inside the shadow, the heavy silence drowning out the protests of the other two Legendaries. It only took a few seconds for me to find the right place, and I opened up the shadow.

I found myself inside the hall of the Pokemon League, in the middle of a large circle of people. I recognised them as the Legendaries, the Champion, Elitists and Gym Leaders of Unova. They stopped discussing whatever they were speaking about and all eyes fell in me and the battered body in my arms. Arceus was the first to react, pushing himself out of his wooden chair and hurriedly making his way over.

"She is alive at least…" he said, frowning as he looked down at Mina.

'I will take her to the Pokemon centre,' I said. I would never normally do something without the permission of Arceus, or at least not while I was right in front of him anyway. Arceus nodded once.

I was about to turn around when I felt a strange tingling inside me. I paused and tried to float forward, but was most disturbed when I found I couldn't. Turning my head to Arceus, it was clear he noticed the strange affect too.

'Arceus?' I asked, worried.

"Something is wrong…" he trailed off. The tingling sensation grew stronger. Glancing at the other Legendaries in the room, I saw they they must have felt it too. After a few seconds, Arceus' eyes widened in horror. "Jirachi! They have used his powers!"

I saw a flash of light from beside me and a dark hole appear in the air on my other side. Giratina and Kyurem had arrived, their emotions obviously just as confused as our own.

I watched, confusedly as Giratina and Kyurem shifted into their human forms. Then I felt the ground. I hadn't meant to extend my legs… looking down, I found black jeans and black shoes. Somehow, I had been forced to change into my human form.

"Arceus! What is this?" Giratina asked, outraged.

"The humans have used Jirachi! Even I cannot change back!" he exclaimed. This was bad. Very, very bad. If Arceus wasn't able to break the wish of Jirachi, then none of us would be able to.

"They have declared war against us. We shall have no mercy!" Arceus declared.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noted the uncomfortable expression on Giratina's face. She had been forbidden from fighting since her banishment.

Arceus turned to me and glanced down at Mina.

"She will not be as well protected with us in these forms, but we will protect her with all our remaining power," he vowed. It was a fact that in our human forms, we Legendaries were not as powerful, but we were still stronger than any regular Pokemon.

I bowed my head and turned on my heel, making my way to the Pokemon centre that I knew resided here.

…

(Mina's POV)

"Mina, honey, are you alright?" my eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar voice.

I instantly squinted at the bright light. Where was I?

"Mina, come on dear, the poffins are getting cold," the voice said again. My eyes then focused on my surroundings. I was in a meadow of some sort, it was filled with flowers of all kinds. A dining table stood a little ways off, laid and ready with a tray of poffins in the middle. I turned my head to the source of the voice. My eyes bulged.

Could it really be?

Yes, it was. My grandmother, whom had died some years ago, kneeled beside me, looking like she did when she was still a young woman. It struck me just how much she looked like my mother.

"Grandma…?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes dear. Now come on, I've made some nice poffins for you to eat before you leave," she said, standing and offering me a hand. I took it and stood upright, my brow furrowing in confusion.

"Go back? But… I'm… dead… right?" I asked in a whisper. It was so strange to think it, and yet there I was, standing with the ghost of my grandmother and getting ready to eat poffins with her in the middle of a meadow.

"Only for now, honey, but you have to go back soon. There's someone at the table waiting for you," she said gently, nodding her head towards the table. Turning, I looked at the seats situated around the dining table. A man sat in one of the chairs, his posture relaxed and a kind smile on his face. He had black hair and piercing green eyes. I recognised him from the photos around my house in Sandgem town. It was my father.

"Dad?" I breathed, the word sounding so strange. The man stood up, his smile broadening. I started to walk over to him, soon breaking out into a full sprint. As soon as I reached him, I threw my arms around the man in a tight hug.

"My girl… Mina you have been so brave…" he said as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I don't know what to do! I don't want to go back!" I protested, burying my face in his chest. I felt one of his hands rest on top of my head.

"You have to go back… your friends, your family. What about Darkrai? Will you leave him alone?" he asked, his voice gentle.

My heart hurt when he said that. I wished that I could have both, that I could be with my mother, my friends and Darkrai as well as my deceased loved ones. Oh how I wished that. I knew it could never happen though.

"Dad… what happens next? I don't want to be a leader or anything, I just want to be normal…" I whispered.

"The choice is yours now. You can either go back and fulfil the prophecy, or you can stay here with your grandmother and I. I have no say in this and neither does Arceus," he said. I pulled away, a small furrow in between my eyebrows.

"I can stay here?" I asked, trying to grasp the situation.

"If that is what you want, my girl," he said, smiling down at me.

I wanted to stay, I wanted to stay and be with my father so much… and I could. I could stay here with him and my grandmother forever and no one would be able to stop me. I could stay here in the meadow… but I couldn't. I knew I couldn't live with the fact that I had left Darkrai and my mother when I had the option of going back to them. If Darkrai was immortal, I was going to make sure that I spent as much time with him as could.

"No… it isn't. I have to go back," I said, my voice quiet and filled with emotion. My father smiled and nodded.

"Will you at least eat something before you leave? You're looking awfully thin my dear," my grandmother said from behind me.

"Nora, you know she can't stay now she has made her choice," my father said sadly.

I turned and saw that she had a disappointed look on her face, even though she tried to hide it with a smile.

"Yes… yes, you're right as always," she sighed. It pained me to see her like this, so I dashed over to her and have her a tight hug.

"I'll miss you!" I exclaimed as I pulled back. The world started to dim around the edges and the breeze in the meadow began to pick up, soon turning into a gale.

"Remember that we're always with you, Mina! Always!" my father shouted over the harsh wind.

Then there was blackness.

…


	16. Chapter 16

I took a sharp breath as my eyes snapped open. I felt horrible, confined, restricted, battered and in pain. I heard a rapid beeping from my left and voices from my right. People began to touch me and ask me questions, none of which I could answer due to the contraption in my mouth and down my throat, supplying me air.

"Do you want the tube out?" someone asked. I didn't know who is was, but I nodded nevertheless, struggling to remain calm. I felt the plastic tube leave my throat and I took in a deep break of natural air. I tried to grip the sheets with one hand, but found that my left hand was in a cast. Ignoring the protests of the doctors in the room, I pushed myself up, looking down at my arms. I was bandages in various places, the occasional gauze appearing bloody and in need of changing.

"Miss Euphoria?" a doctor asked carefully. I looked up at the man. "It's alright, you're safe now. Darkrai brought you back here. You have a few broken bones, and I don't think your left hand will work properly for a while, but other than that, you're fine."

I somewhat relaxed after hearing that, but not much.

"Darkrai?" I rasped with a dry throat, my eyes flickering around the room. He stood in a corner, his icy eyes appearing worried and wary.

"Mina!" I heard a beautifully familiar voice from the door and I turned my head to find my mother standing there, her hand over her mouth and joyful tears in her eyes. The doctors left to give us some privacy after checking my vitals and making sure everything was in check.

"Mum…" I smiled.

She made her way over and gently wrapped her arms around my neck,waning down to give me a soft hug. It still hurt in some places, but I was so happy that I ignored the throbbing of my bruises. After a few moments, she let go and stood up straight again. My mother turned to Darkrai.

"Darkrai… I can't thank you enough for bringing her back safe. This is the second time you've done this and… thank you so, so much," she smiled. Then, much to mine and Darkrai's surprise, she made her way over to him and gave him a soft hug. Darkrai's icy eyes were wide in shock and he remained frozen, not sure of what else to do. I grinned at the two.

"Mina!" a chorus of voices screamed. My head snapped around towards the door just as a leave group of people came bursting through. It was all my friends, and my heart warmed at the sight of them. They rushed over to my bedside and I was bombarded with questions. I grinned like an idiot all the while.

"Oh my Arceus, Mina are you alright?" Lyra exclaimed.

"What happened to you?" Barry shouted.

"You looked so terrible when you came here, we thought the worst had happened!" Bianca cried.

The cries and questions kept on coming until I started to feel a headache coming on. Cheren noticed this and glanced around at the others.

"Enough!" he shouted, loud enough to surprise everyone into silence. I mouthed a 'thank you' to him. "Mina has only just woken up, the least we can do is give her an explanation of what's happened these past weeks."

I stopped breathing as he spoke. Weeks?

"Cheren… how long was I out?" I asked, my eyes flickered up to him.

Glancing at where Darkrai and my mother stood, he answered, "Three and a half weeks."

My eyes bulged in my head and I had to check that I had heard him correctly. The meadow… I was only in the meadow for about half an hour!

"That's not possible! I-I can't have been unconscious for that long…" I tried to convince myself.

"Mina, you… were dead when you arrived. You had no pulse and the only thing that made us believe you were actually alive was Arceus saying so himself," Ethan said in a gentle voice.

So I had been… dead?

"I was… dead?" I asked, gulping.

"Yes and no. When I found you, I thought you died in front of me, but Giratina could still feel your life force deep within you. Any regular person would have died long before I did reach you, but you cannot die unless Arceus permits it," Darkrai explained. It then struck me that he was in his human form.

"Darkrai…" I started, my brow furrowing, "why are you in your human form?"

The people in the room exchanged nervous glances. Darkrai sighed heavily before answering, "I cannot change back."

"What do you mean?" I asked, even more confused.

"The leaders of these organisations have used Jirachi's powers to trap each and every one of the Legendaries in their human forms. None of us, including Arceus, can change back," he explained. My eyes widened in horror.

"You're all… stuck like this?" I questioned, swallowing to try and moisten my dry throat.

"Yes," was his reply.

I nodded and sat for a while, thinking over the information. What did this mean? What would happen now? Would they be stuck like this forever?

The thought was terrifying. If it was true, then there would be no more Legendaries, and the balance in the world would be disrupted.

"What happens now?" I asked as a whisper.

Darkrai hesitated before answering. I lifted my gaze to the man-Pokemon and he returned it.

"Just under a week ago, the people who did this to you invaded Kanto. They are killing people and Pokemon who refuse to join them and capturing every wild Pokemon they encounter. Kanto is in ruins. They will move onto Johto next, and then…" his gaze turned sorrowful, "Sinnoh."

My breathing stopped. They had been killing people? This was terrible, unforgivable, a disaster. It then struck me what Darkrai had said last. They were going to invade Johto and Sinnoh.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"We have gathered people in Johto, Sinnoh this region and the others to help battle against them. The forces of the enemy are large and strong though. They have created some sort of weapon, a Pokemon like thing. From the information we have gathered, it is said to have an appearance of Arceus," he explained.

"So… we have to fight then?" I asked.

"Yes, it is the only way to ensure the safety of our borders. As soon as you are well again, we must call a meeting between the Champions and Elitists of the region so we may discuss what will happen and what our strategy will be," he finished.

I nodded.

For the remainder of the day, the others shared their stories with me of what had been happening while I was gone. I just wished I could have seen the looks on the Champion and Elitists' faces when the Legendaries showed up on their doorstep.

…

It took time, but a week after I woke up, I was able to walk around the Pokemon League as long as I took things easy. Darkrai never left my side, always keeping a close eye on my movements and making sure I didn't over exert myself. It was sweet really, the great Nightmare King looking after a sixteen year old girl.

It was on my third day being up and moving that Arceus came to me.

"Mina, are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," I smiled at the man-Pokemon. It was so strange to think that he was the creator of the universe while he was in this form.

"Good. I am glad you are able to walk about now, but I must ask a favour of you," he said. I blinked. What could he want me to do for him?

"Um… sure, anything," I said, nodding.

"The Champions and Elitists of the regions will be here tomorrow and we will be discussing the happenings in the regions. I would like for you to be there," he stated.

"Er… okay. Yeah, I'll be there," I agreed.

"Uxie wished to see you, alone," he added the last bit, glancing at Darkrai. Darkrai bowed his head and stepped backwards as Arceus led me through the Pokemon League and inside N's castle- where the Legendaries and my friends were staying for the time being- where Uxie was waiting in the large throne room. She stood like a statue, not even twitching as I entered the room, Arceus leaving me at the door. She wore blue jeans and a pale yellow long sleeved top, her blonde hair short and straight and her sunglasses covering her eyes.

"Mina, you came," she said, her voice youthful and childlike and yet still portraying a vast amount of wisdom.

"Yes, Arceus said you wanted to speak with me?" I said after a moment. Uxie inclined her head once.

"That is correct. I have seen your future, and it is both dark and light. Which one it turns out to be, however, is up to you," she started.

"What do I do?" I asked, feeling a little lost.

"You must do what feels right. Arceus told you that the last part of the prophecy would affect the lives of everyone in this world, and he was right, but the choice is yours. You do not have to become a leader of war, you may stay while others battle, but this will affect you nonetheless," she said, her voice sad.

"Leader of war…?" I repeated, not sure I had heard her right.

"In our current state, you are as powerful, if not even more so, as Arceus. When the people know this, they will look up to you and follow you to the ends of the earth. You would be their hope, their salvation," she explained.

"I'm just one girl," I breathed, shaking my head in doubt.

"Yes, but you are more than just a girl. You have the power of Arceus inside you, the power to move mountains, to to make it rain, to create new lands, to bend this world to your will. You must decide by tomorrow," she finished.

Tomorrow… I needed to do some serious thinking then. I thanked Uxie for her time and left the hall. Arceus was gone and I was alone in the castle corridor. I found myself mindlessly strolling around for a few hours after that. Darkrai didn't bother me, he understood that I needed to be alone, so I was left to my own thoughts.

"Can I lead a region to war?" I asked myself out loud. Could I live with myself, knowing that I would have caused the deaths of so many, innocents and criminals alike? Could I live with that responsibility? It would all be for the greater good, the lesser of two evils, but was I really meant for this? Clearly I was, the prophecy stated that much, but did I, myself, believe that I was the right person for such a responsibility? No, I didn't believe that. I was just a girl, no matter what my friends, Uxie, Darkrai or Arceus said. I was just Mina, plain old Mina.

'Except your not plain old Mina, are you? You haven't been the same since you found out about this prophecy, have you?' I thought bitterly.

"What should I do?" I yelled in frustration, leaning back against a wall and sliding down it. I brought my knees to my chest carefully, ignoring the pain of my broken rib, and rested my forehead on top. I heard two pairs of footsteps coming from a ways off, getting closer every second.

"Mina?" I heard Lyra's voice from not far off. I grunted in response.

"Are you alright?" the other person asked. It was N. They both came to crouch beside me.

"I… don't know…" I turned my head to the side to face them, "I'm sixteen, I can't lead an army. If it came to it, I probably couldn't even kill the people who did this to me!" I screamed, gesturing at myself to indicate the broken bones and healing cuts that would leave permanent scars.

"What did they do to you Mina? You don't speak about it, but maybe you should, you know, just to get it off your chest," Lyra said gently, moving to sit on the floor next to me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I knew that Lyra was probably right, I did just want someone to speak to about the horrors of my short captivity. I couldn't tell Darkrai, because I knew that the second I had finished speaking, he would hunt the bastards down and torture them until they begged for death.

'Maybe I should just tell them, it might make things easier…' I thought.

"Ghetsis, Giovanni and Cyrus ordered their scientists to do experiments on me. The scars on my wrist are from where I tried to pull my hands out of the cuffs they used to lock me down on top of the operating table. There are scars on my back from where they cut me open and stitched me back up like a rag doll. They wanted to test how strong my bones were, so they broke every single one in my hand, writing down how much force it took to snap or crush each one. If I fought back, they would beat me and cut me. I don't even know how much blood they took from me," I was shaking by the time I had finished, my breathing ragged and my head feeling dizzy. It was like I was reliving it all, every bone snapping, every bruise being given, every blade being dragged across my skin… before I knew it, I was hyperventilating and tears were running down my cheeks. Lyra pulled me close to her as I wept. I heard N stumble backwards as I finished speaking and he stood up, leaning against a wall.

"They did such terrible things to you…?" he breathed, disbelieving. I looked up at him. He looked sick at what I had told them. He shook his head and backed off a couple of steps, "I-I'm sorry… I…" he never finished the sentence, he simply set off in a sprint down the hall.

The temperature dropped several degrees. Lyra looked up with worried eyes at Darkrai who now crouched on my other side, his long white hair falling over his shoulders and brushing the floor.

"They did that to you?" he asked, his voice hard and full of anger.

I swallowed and nodded once. I heard him growl, yes growl, before he stalked off, the shadows in the corridor swirling violently.

A few corridors away, I heard Arceus calling Darkrai's name repeatedly, but it seemed as though the Nightmare King was ignoring him. Darkrai actually ignored Arceus. That shocked me so much that I stopped crying, although the tears still fell, and looked at Lyra questioningly. She didn't seem to have heard anything.

"What is it?" she asked, concerned.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, horrified.

"Your hearing is enhanced, Mina, of course I didn't," she said jokingly, half smiling and trying to lighten the mood. Any other time it would have worked, but not now. I had to make sure Darkrai hadn't done anything rash.

I stood up, wincing at the stab of pain in my chest, and rushed down the corridor in the direction Darkrai has gone. I wiped away the wetness on my face as I walked.

"Mina! What's wrong?" Lyra shouted from behind me, trying to keep up with my fast pace.

"I don't know, but I think Darkrai's gone and done something stupid…" I replied, turning a corner. I very nearly bumped into Arceus.

"Mina! Are you alright?" he asked, taking my upper arms and looking me over, very much like a father would do to his hurt child.

"Yes, I'm fine, but Darkrai rushed off and I heard you calling his name but he didn't a deer and I thought something bad had happened so I came to find Darkrai but I can't and-"

"Calm down," he said gently. As soon as the words left his mouth, I relaxed a little. He continued, "Darkrai looked positively murderous. I assumed something had happened with you when he continued to ignore me since he would never do it otherwise. He disappeared into one of his shadows without a word. Are you sure you are well?"

"Oh no… no, no, no, no…" I said, bringing my unbroken hand to my face, "Lyra and N found me and asked me about what happened. They said it might make me feel better if I got it off my chest. I thought it was worth a shot so I told them everything and I ended up getting upset and… Darkrai heard everything. I think… I think he's gone to find Ghetsis, Giovanni and Cyrus," I said, my brow furrowed.

Arceus sighed heavily.

"Yes… knowing him he will have. I will send Cresselia, Giratina and Dialga to look for him. Go, rest. There is a busy day ahead of you tomorrow. I can only hope Darkrai is not harmed…" he said, trailing off.

"What could they do to harm Darkrai?" I asked, my concern growing.

"This new weapon of theirs, this… abomination they have created. I assume they have used your DNA to create this thing, and by doing this, it will have my powers. They have already used it in Vermillion and Fuchsia cities in Kanto, I do not think they will hesitate to use it in Darkrai," be said solemnly. My jaw dropped and my eyes bulged at the Legendary.

"Could he… die?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"No, not die. Even in this form, I still have a hold on his soul. He could, however, be seriously injured. They may even succeed in capturing him and performing experiments on him to gain his DNA, as they did with you," he said sadly.

I swallowed.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, hating he idea of just sitting around and soon nothing while my closest friend was off getting himself into Arceus knows how many kinds of danger just for my sake.

"I am afraid not, Mina. Not until you have fully recovered anyway. You heal quicker than the average human anyway, I assume you should be recovered within the next week, although your hand will most likely be damaged for another two weeks. The meeting is tomorrow, so I suggest you rest or take the rest of the day easy," he sighed. I nodded numbly before he turned and walked away. I stared after him for a while, not really sure what to do. It took a while, but eventually I made my way towards the room where I was staying.

I just prayed that Darkrai didn't get himself into trouble.

…

A/N: You didn't think I would just kill her off, did you? That would be a shame. Anyway, I found the responses to last chapter amusing to read, but don't worry, Mina is alive! But what will happen to Darkrai?

Once again, thank you for taking the time to read, follow, favourite or review my story- it really makes my day whenever I get a new follower.

Oh, I have my iPod now! I got an A on my geography exam so my dad let me has my iPod! (But still not by computer). Updates should be quicker when I get around to catching up on the time I've lost with tis whole fiasco. Thanks for sticking won me for so long!


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Wow… I am so, so sorry for how long it took to upload this chapter, but the evil writers block prevented me from doing so. I was so completely overjoyed with the responses for Chapter 16 that I pulled my socks up and wrote as much as I could. I've done up to Chapter 20, so until I get past this writes block, updates may be slower. Oh, and I've written the last chapter too! I know how it's going to end, but it's just building up to the final chapter that's going to be difficult. Just so you know: I wrote he last chapter by hand on A4 lined paper, and I ended up using 35 pages. My handwriting is quite small too. Just a heads up. **

**Also, this is a very short chapter, so I will either upload another one tonight or tomorrow. Thank you for your kind reviews and patience. **

**Without further ado, Chapter 17…**

…

I was awakened by loud thumping on the bedroom door. I groaned as I pulled my stiff body out of the bed, wrapping my black dressing down around my as I opened the door. All of my friends, including N, were standing there, seeming rather breathless.

"Seriously, what the hell?" I moaned, rubbing my eyes.

"Mina, it's Darkrai. Dialga, Giratina and Cresselia found him but… he's in really bad shape," Dawn said, her voice full of sadness. My eyes bulged in horror.

"Where is he?" I asked, looking frantically at them.

"In the Pokemon Centre, but Mina, I really don't think you should-"

I cut Cheren off by pushing past them all, running as fast as my battered body would allow me (which was still fast for an average human) towards the Pokemon Centre.

I heard the other's shout my name and they ran after me. Surprisingly, N was the first to catch up with me and he grabbed onto my right arm, pulling me to a stop. Cheren followed soon after, the others right behind.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" I shouted, tugging against him. Obviously, I managed to pull free.

"Mina, Darkrai's in really bad shape right now. It was lucky that he made it out of there alive. Even the others are seriously hurt. We really, really don't think it's good for you to see him right now," Hilbert stated.

"What did this to them, that they're in so bad a shape that you think it's too terrible for me to see?" I asked, confused at the looks on their faces.

"That… thing they made out of your DNA. It's strong enough that it almost killed them… or whatever it is Legendaries do rather than die," Ethan said.

"I don't care what you say now. I have to see him," I said, turning and sliding to the side before N could grab my arm again. Once more, they called my name but once more I ran, even faster this time to make sure I didn't get caught up with.

I passed Arceus on my way, along with a few other Legendaries and some of the Gym Leaders and Elitists that would be attending the meeting tomorrow. Arceus also called of for me, but when I ignored him, he too began to pursuit me. Of course, Arceus being Arceus, he caught up with me. Yet again, my arm was grabbed and I was spun around to face him. The others were far behind us now, and I was just outside the Pokemon League, the Pokemon Centre within my sight.

"Mina, slow down," he said warningly.

"Slow down? I have to see him! I will not slow down!" I insisted, surprising myself with the insistence of my tone.

"I'm not saying that you cannot see him, I am merely saying that it can wait until tomorrow. You are weary," he pointed out. Of course this was true, it was about three in the morning anyway so even the others' were in their pyjamas. Nevertheless, I was resolute.

"No. I'm seeing him now," I said, pulling myself free from his iron grip, shocking both him and myself that I was able to do so. This shock was fleeting as I turned and sprinted inside the Pokemon Centre. I ran towards the Nurse Joy.

"Darkrai, where is he? Is he alright?" I asked frantically.

"Oh! Follow me, miss. He's stable, but he's… well, he's…" the nurse trailed off, a frown on her face. I stopped walking beside her and she too did the same thing.

"What is it?" I asked in a low voice, dreading what she was going to say.

"Miss Euphoria… I'm afraid Darkrai is in a coma of some sorts. We can't get him to wake up and he showed no signs of movement when he was brought here. His heart still beats and he is breathing but… he is unresponsive to all of our potions and medicines," she said.

"Where is he?" I whispered, my voice sounding weak even to my own ears.

"Follow me. He is currently being… stitched up in the same room as the others. He was cut rather badly, but the Legendaries won't answer any of our questions. They say they won't answer to anyone other than Arceus or yourself," she said, leading me to an open door. Walking through, I found three Legendaries, all of whom were being stitched up or treated in some way.

Giratina had a bandaged hand as well as multiple cuts and scrapes all over her skin and her clothing was torn and tattered. Cresselia had bruises along her arms and on her face, as well as a split lip and a leave cash on the side of her head. Dialga… he seemed much, much worse, and the way he winced everyone someone touched his wound proved just how bad a shape he was in. There was a large, deep gash on his back stretching from his left shoulder to the right hand part of his lower back. His shirt had been removed to reveal pale skin and there were several doctors seeing to his terrible wound. Then I saw a closed curtain that sectioned off part of the room. I was about to make my way over when Giratina's voice stopped me.

"Mina, are you sure you want to go in there?" she asked.

I nodded but didn't say anything as I took another step forward, pulling back the curtain with my undamaged hand. My eyes watered a little when I saw my closest friend in such a terrible state. His ghostly white skin was now an impossible shade of white, almost the colour of his hair, and was covered in various dark patches and bumps. He had sustained a few cuts and scratches on his body, but the thing that caught my attention was the large bandage around his head that was slightly bloody. As my breathing quickened, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Cresselia, who now had the it on her head stitched up, with watery eyes and a concerned frown.

"What… what happened?" I asked, my voice quiet. Cresselia sighed and looked down. It was Dialga who answered.

"They were ready and waiting for him. It seemed-" wince "-that they also expected some of us to make an appearance. At first, they tried to capture us, but when they realised we were too strong for their cages, they unleashed their abomination. Darkrai was so enraged that he-" wince "-went straight for it before we could stop him. It proved too strong for us in this form," he finished after wincing from every touch to the raw, open wound on his back.

"Too strong?" I repeated, horrified. "What is that thing then?"

The panic was starting to grow in the pit of my stomach. I was supposed to lead an army against that thing? Impossible!

"It is a disgrace to every living thing, an insult to the Legendaries!" Giratina spat, now standing where she too could see Darkrai.

"They have used your DNA to create it and somehow make it as strong as, if not stronger than Arceus himself. Us four Legendaries could not hold it off long enough to escape even after Giratina, Palkia and I had fought against Arceus before. This was… unlike anything we have ever seen," Dialga stated. His wound was now being stitched up and his eyes were narrowed in pain.

"I can't lead an army against that thing…" I breathed, more to myself than anyone else.

Even though they had obviously heard, the other Legendaries did not speak up. Down the hall, I could hear the arguing voices of my friends who were clearly trying to get past the Nurse Joy to see us, but they were not being allowed to.

Eventually, they left, having admitted defeat and Giratina, Cresselia and Dialga soon followed, their bodies already beginning to heal. I, however stayed.

There was a comfortable chair beside Darkrai's hospital bed so I sat into it. Without even noticing, I hand taken hold of his hand at some point and was staring at his unconscious face. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his head.

"Darkrai… if you can hear me, please, come back to me. This thing that did this to you… I can't lead an army against it! I need your help… please…" I begged, tears freely flowing out of my eyes.

No answer came.

"I need your help… I can't do this alone… I need your help… I need you… I need you here with me… please… I need you here with me…" I whispered, my eatery eyes never leaving his face.

Sometime after, I must have fallen asleep in the chair because I was dimly aware of being lifted out of it and being carried away.

…

(Arceus' POV)

When I realised that man had not returned to her room by five in the morning, I went goths Pokemon Centre where I knew I would find her. As I was about to enter the hospital room, I noticed her talking. I paused before entering, not wishing to disturb her. What I heard saddened me deeply.

"I need your help… I can't do this alone… I need your help… I need you… I need you here with me… please… I need you here with me…" she pleaded. Her voice was quiet and shaken and it almost sounded like she was begging. No answer ever came so I understood that she was speaking to Darkrai's unconscious self.

'_**Mina… you are alone in this…**_' I thought sadly. When I heard the quiet breathing from the room, I turned the corner to find her already sound asleep in a rather uncomfortable looking chair. Not wanting to leave her there, I lifted her from her place and teleported her to the room she was occupying during her stay. I lay her down on her need before leaving.

'_**Yes… you are so very alone…**_' I mentally sighed as I left to attend other things.

…

(Darkrai's POV)

As I lay alone in the darkness, I heard a voice. Such a soft, sweet voice that sounded like fragments of a broken melody. The voice spoke to me, asking me to return. My heart broke to hear the sadness within the melodic voice, and I was willing to do anything to make it happier.

_"I need you here with me…_" it said, like a whisper on the wind that didn't exist.

Somehow… I knew the voice and I knew that I would do anything for the owner of it… I knew that the owner brought me a happiness and a safety that no other being alive could.

So I started clawing my way juror the darkness, inch by inch.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So yeah, I am a horrible, horrible human being. I said I would update a day after the last chapter, but I end up doing it almost two weeks after. I am terribly sorry, but I literally had 20 different maths homeworks to do, a science project, and then I had to paint my grandmother's house with my sister and dad, then I had to finish my canvas for art, now my school has sent this SATs paper home for me to do... I'm just sorry. I don't know hen the next update will be, since I still have a ton of homework to do. Also, on a bad note, I kind of have writers block. As I stated before, I've already written the last chapter, but it's the its in between that I'm struggling with. I have a rough idea of what I want to put in the next few chapters, but it's just actually typing it up so it makes sense and fits in with the story.**

**Sorry again, here's Chapter 18...**

* * *

Yet again, I was woken by a knocking on the bedroom door. I cracked open my eyes and squinted in the light. Pulling myself out of the bed, I walked over to the door. Opening it, I found Mew on the other side. I smiled at the girl dressed in pink.

"Mina! Sorry to wake you! I know your tired, but Arceus asked me to tell you that the meeting was in an hour in the study, so I guess you have to hurry now," she said cheerily. My eyes widened.

"Oh! Thanks, Mew, I'll see you later then!" I said as she skipped away. Shutting the door, I rushed into the bathroom to wash and change.

Since I was going to a 'meeting', I put on some more smart looking clothes. I wore black jeans with a deep red blouse. I put black leather shoes on my feet before going to brush my hair, leaving it down. Not being bothered to do anything else, I left the room, making my way to a large study deep in the castle. Knocking before entering, the door was opened by Alder who smiled down at me when he saw me.

"Come in in and take a seat anywhere. We'll be starting in a few minutes, we're just waiting for some of the others to get here," he said, allowing me to get past his large frame.

I thanked him and took a seat next to Giratina. The table was long and narrow, and I was facing Grimsley.

"Did you stay in the Pokemon Centre all night?" Giratina asked me, turning to face me. She, too, was dressed slightly more formal. Her usual red and grey striped T-shirt had been replaced with a grey blouse and deep red cardigan. She wore dark pants and sensible shoes but her lips were painted in their usual dark red and her hair hadn't changed style either.

"No. I thought I would, but I fell asleep in the chair and someone brought me back to my room… I can't remember who it was though," I said, scrunching up my face in concentration to try and remember the person who had returned me to my room.

"At least you got some sleep. Dialga has been up all night since he cannot lie down," she said, frowning. As if on cue, Dialga walked through the door with dark circles under his deep blue eyes, clashing with the fair tone of his skin. When he sat, it was straight and stoic, it was clear he couldn't lean back even if he wanted to.

"Dialga, how's your back?" I asked, worried.

"It is healing, but slowly. It will take at least a week before I can lean back on anything," he replied, sighing.

"What about you Giratina? What was it that happened to your hand?" I asked, looking at the renegade Pokemon.

"I shattered the bones when I was blocking an attack from the creature," she replied, lifting her bandaged hand and examining it.

Ten minutes later, everyone was here and we could start. Palkia sat beside Dialga and Arceus sat at one end of the table while Alder sat at the other. Arceus stood from his place and the chatter died down as they felt the regal power he radiated.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the regions, we are here today to discuss the matter of impending war. Now, since I am sure none of you will believe me, I may as well get difficult introductions out of the way first. This, is Giratina," he gestured to the Renegade, "this is Palkia," he gestured to the Spatial Pokemon, "this is Dialga," he gestured to the Temporal Pokemon, "this is Mina Euphoria, my descendant and inheritor of all my powers," he gestured to me and I stiffened under the eyes of the people at the table, "and I am Arceus."

The people all stared in shock and disbelief at Arceus. The only ones who weren't surprised were Alder, Grimsley, Shauntal, Caitlin and Marshal- they just glanced around nervously at the expressions of everyone else.

"No way. Nah, there's no way I'm believing that! Alder, is this some sort of a joke?" Koga exclaimed, looking rather irritated.

"It's true," the Unova Champion said.

The Champions of the other regions looked as though they didn't know what to believe, and whispers soon broke out among the Gym Leaders, Elitists and Champions.

"May I try something?" Lance, the Champion of Johto asked, looking between Arceus and Alder.

When both of them nodded, Lande stood and released his Dragonite. The Pokemon looked around the room, but it's gaze froze when it came to the Legendaries. Taking a few heavy steps forward until it stood about six feet from Arceus, the Pokemon closed its eyes and bowed its head at the alpha Pokemon.

'_**It knows who he is…'**_ I thought in amazement.

"I think that is enough proof," Lance spoke, returning the Pokemon to its Pokeball. Everyone in the room was silent now. It was a few moments before someone spoke up.

"Excuse me, but what was your name again?" Cynthia, Champion of Sinnoh, asked me. I swallowed before answering.

"My name is Mina Euphoria," I replied, sitting straighter.

"Mina is an extremely important asset at this moment in time. Her decision is the one that will decide the fate of this war," Arceus spoke. All eyes turned to me, and I instantly felt uncomfortable.

"Wait, how old are you kid?" a man I recognised as Bruno asked.

"Sixteen," I replied, not really liking the tone of his voice.

"Oh, she's sixteen and she's deciding the date of a war that'll affect the whole world. Right," he rolled his eyes. My anger flared up and I clenched my right hand under the table.

"Excuse me, **_sir_**, but I fail to see what is so hard to believe about that," I said through gritted teeth.

"Look, girl, we're here for war, and in the state you're in, you're better off just staying here where it's safe," he said. Even though I knew it shouldn't have, his words struck harder than they were intended to.

"In the state I'm in?" I repeated quietly, my eyes starting to sting. I'd be damned if I let myself cry in front of these people. I stood from the table, glaring at the man. "You don't know anything."

"Mina?" Grimsley sounded worried. I ignored him and turned to Arceus who also had a concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay here," I said, walking out of the room.

Only when the door had shut behind me did I allow the first tear to fall.

* * *

**(Arceus' POV)**

I shut my eyes and sighed as I heard the door close behind me. When I opened them again, I found Giratina and Dialga to be glaring at the man who had said those things to Mina.

"Bruno, you imbecile! How many times must you be told to think before you speak! You could have at least known everything before you opened your oversized mouth!" the Elitist Grimsley was the one to speak up, glaring so fiercely at the man that it was almost as unnerving as Giratina.

"What did I even do? She's a **_child_**! There's no way she can go to war!" Bruno protested.

"You have no idea what she went through!" Dialga shouted, losing his usual calm demeanour and showing a very rare rage.

"What she went through within the period of seventy-two hours you have probably never been through in your entire life, _**human**_!" Giratina spat, standing from her place. This was my place to intervene, as I knew more than any how terrible the Renegade Pokemon's wrath could be.

"Giratina! Dialga! Calm yourselves! It was an innocent enough mistake," I said, though I did not like saying it. I made sure to clear up things though, "But, human," I began, turning my gaze to the now pale looking fighting master, "should you ever insult her again, it will be the last thing you do. Mina is as much my family as any of the other Legendaries, maybe even more so. You will _**all**_ treat her with the same respect as you would them."

My tone left no room for argument, and the humans all knew this.

"Arceus, we need to get on with this," Palkia quietly noted from beside me. I nodded and decided to begin.

"First things first, what news is there from Kanto?" I asked.

"None. All we know is that the Gym Leaders have all been captured. Although… we believe Erika to be dead from the attack on Fuchsia City. All contact was broken off when they invaded Lavender Town," Lance said, his voice heavy with grief.

"Are there forces ready in Johto and the other regions?" I asked.

"Yes, we are all ready. There are seven thousand Pokemon and trainers ready for battle. They all know the full implications of the war and what it could mean for them," the dragon master continued.

"Sinnoh is ready. There are both trained and wild Pokemon ready and waiting. Our numbers are around eight thousand," Cynthia stated.

"What do we know about the numbers on their side?" I asked.

"Including the people from Kanto who have joined… I estimate around twenty thousand," Karen said solemnly. I remained silent at this, contemplating our options.

"Arceus, we must go to Johto's aid before it is too late," Dialga said in a low voice. I closed my eyes and nodded.

"We Legendaries will fight alongside you," I stated, opening my eyes to look at the humans.

"What do we do now?" Steven Stone asked.

"We must now wait for Mina. As I stated earlier, the fate of this war rests on her final decision. She is destined to lead us against the enemy, and vanquish the evil that plagues this earth. If her decision is to remain here, then I shall lead you to battle, however, it is possible that I shall die. If she decides to accept her role, we must all follow her willingly to our ends," I stated. The Crown Dragon Trio tensed when I mentioned my death, but it was undeniable. If Mina chose to remain here, I would lead the humans to war, but I would very possibly die. I was the only Legendary capable of dying- although it took a lot to do it- but if I died, the other Legendaries would lose their invincibility and could also die, since I would no longer have a hold on their souls. There was no certainty that Mina would make it out alive either… the decision was hers to make though. I could not, and would not, force her to fight in this war.

"So our fates lie in the hands of a child…" Cynthia mused out loud.

"Mina has known this for some time now. I revealed all to her when she was thirteen," I stated.

"What? You mean when she disappeared for three weeks? She did mention speaking with you," Alder said.

"Yes. Time in the Hall of Origin is much different to the time of your world," I stated.

"Rounding back to the main subject, what will be the full outcome of Mina's decision?" Cynthia asked, a slight frown on her face.

"If Mina chooses to lead us to war, the chances of victory are much higher. She must destroy the abomination that has been created. However, if she chooses to stay away from the war and suffering, I, myself, will lead the war and face the creature. The chances of success are not so much in our favour, as there is a high possibility I go to my death, and in turn, the deaths of each and every Legendary remaining. Either way, there is a chance we will be unsuccessful," I explained.

I knew that Mina would make her decision by the evening, and so all I could do was wait. Either way, innocent blood would be shed, and this saddened me greatly, for I knew I was helpless to stop it- a thing that was rare for myself.

* * *

**(Mina's POV)**

I sat next to the bed that Darkrai lay on, staring at his deathly pale face.

"I was judged before I even opened my mouth, you know?" I started talking like he was actually able to listen. "One of them actually had the audacity to point out how bad a shape I was in, like it was ridiculous to even think I was related to Arceus. Maybe it is. I have to make my mind up by tonight, you know? That's what Uxie said anyway… I can't do this… this isn't fair. I wish I could just go back to my life before I even knew about this blasted prophecy!" I cried.

"Mina?" I looked up to see Lucas at the door. He was on his own and stared at me with a worried frown.

"Hey Lucas. Sorry you had to hear all that…" I whispered, looking down at the floor.

"It's fine. How is he?" he asked, indicating Darkrai and walking closer to the bed.

"The same. There hasn't been any change, although the nurse came in a few minutes ago to change his bandage and found it to be almost healed. That's good I guess…" I sighed, looking at my unconscious friend.

"Yeah… I take it the meeting didn't go well then," Ethan said. My mood darkened a little.

"That's one way of putting it. You could also say that Bruno was a complete and total ass," I stated bitterly.

"Yeah, I heard what you said. That was kinda careless of him really. He should have known better," Lucas replied.

"Yeah, but that's a stupid male fighting master for you, isn't it? They've got their heads too far up their own arses to notice anything else," I spat.

"You look really tired. Why don't you go and get some rest?" he suggested. I sighed and thought it over. I'd been doing that a lot lately, resting. Whenever I was angry or upset, it completely drained the life out of me and I would look like death warmed up the next day. Actually, it seemed as though all I ever did was rest, since that was what people usually told me to do.

"Maybe later. Could I… could we go find the others? I haven't been around much lately and well… I feel kind of bad about it," I said sheepishly. Lucas' face split into a huge grin.

"Yeah? Come on! Last I checked, everyone was in the library," he said, grabbing my good hand and pulling me around the bed.

"See you later Darkrai!" I shouted back at the unconscious body. Lucas have me a look as if to say _"you're crazy, you know that right?"_ so I just grinned while we walked to the library in the castle.

We found the others sat in the lounge area at the back of the library, talking amongst themselves.

"Mina!" Bianca exclaimed happily. The others all turned to me, grinning when they saw us approach.

"Hi. How have things been?" I asked, taking a seat on an armchair.

"Same old. Hilda and N are officially dating," Bianca said mischievously. I eyes widened and my face split Ito a huge grin. Hilda and N were bright red in the face at Bianca's words.

"Really? When did this happen?" I exclaimed.

"About a week ago," Dawn said happily.

Then a wave of guilt overcame me as I realised just how little I had been around lately. With this whole business about the war, I had been completely neglecting my friends. The others seemed to notice my face fall.

"Mina, we know you've been busy lately, there's nothing to feel bad about," Cheren stated.

"Thanks but… I don't know, I just feel so tired lately and I guess I haven't been around as much as I would like to have been," I sighed. My friends being as wonderful as they are, persisted in cheering me up. That was, until Barry asked the wrong question at the wrong time- not for the first time.

"So, how'd the meeting go?" he asked me. Lucas sent him a death glare, telling him that he'd done the wrong thing. I told them all what happened. By the time I had done, Cheren, Barry, Hilbert, Lyra and Hilda all looked infuriated while the others seemed too shocked to know what to say.

"An Elitist said that?" Dawn exclaimed.

"You'd think he'd know better!" Hilda shouted, scowling in anger.

"That was completely disrespectful to both you and Arceus!" Cheren seethed.

The comments kept on coming for a few moments, until once more, Barry asked another one of his innocently stupid questions that pushed me into an even fouler mood.

"So… what do you think you'll do?" he asked. I inwardly groaned. I loved Barry so much, but he could just be so **_dimwitted_**. Apparently, they noticed my eyes darken, and they tensed up a little.

"Barry… not the best of things to ask right now," Hilda said, glancing at the boy.

"What? What did I do?" Barry asked, seeming confused.

"Never mind, Barry. And to answer your question… I have no idea what I'm going to do," I whispered the last part, only just loud enough that they heard.

"But… it sounds so dangerous and scary…" Bianca stated, a worried frown on her face.

"Yeah, I mean… war is really, really dangerous! You could die!" Barry exclaimed.

"Thank you so much for that, Barry, I never knew. Please enlighten me some more on whether or not I will die by having my bones crushed or my entrails ripped out, because I would so love to listen," I snapped. He paled at my harsh response and I instantly felt guilty. I sighed and brought my hand to my head, saying, "Sorry… I've been rather irritable lately…"

"Maybe you should go rest for a while? Or go somewhere to clear your head?" Ethan suggested. Listening to the familiar suggestion dampened my mood even more and I sighed again.

"Yeah, fine," I grumbled, standing and making my way out of the library, too annoyed to do anything else. I didn't even wait for them to say anything else, I just stalked away as my mood continued to darken.

As soon as I reached my room, I shut the door behind me and collapsed on the bed.

**_'Why am I always feeling so tired and annoyed lately?'_** I thought to myself. Ever since I had woken up from the coma, I had been irritable and my temper had been short. Even the slightest thing could set me off. I had also been very tired, mentally drained almost. The world was on the brink of war, my closest friend was in a coma, I had just been tortured and experimented on, and now, on top of everything else, I had a life changing decision to make. As I stared at the ceiling, there was a gentle knock on my door.

"Come in," I said in a monotone voice.

The door opened to reveal my mother, smiling gently at me. I smiled back and pushed myself up, leaning against the headboard.

"Hey, mum, everything alright?" I asked. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"Oh, yes, everything is fine, dear. The meeting has finished now. Arceus told me about what happened… it's up to you now, dear. You don't have to do this, you know that right?" she asked, a frown on her features.

"I know, mum… I know…" I sighed. It was then that I realised she had a large bag on her shoulder and a coat on. I asked, "Are you going out somewhere?"

"I'm going back to Sinnoh, Mina," she smiled sadly at me.

"What? Why?" I demanded, not wanting her to leave me.

"You're well looked after here, so I'm going to go back to Sinnoh to help Cynthia and the Elite Four gather people to fight in the war. There's still time to get some more people so… we're going to try," she replied. Although I didn't want to admit it, I knew that she was doing the right thing.

"Okay… but be careful, alright? I don't… I don't want those monsters to get hold of you," I whispered, the emotion clear in my voice.

My mother didn't reply, she just leaned closer and wrapped her arms around me. I returned the gesture and we stayed like that for a few minutes. When she finally pulled away, her cheeks were damp.

"I have something for you…" she said, sniffing as she reached into her bag. She pulled out a locket. It was beautiful and silver, with an intricate vine pattern engraved into the metal. I opened it up and found a picture. On one side, there was a picture of my mother and father, smiling at the camera and looking like they were laughing. On the other side was another picture of my mother and father, but this time, they were looking down at something with gentle smiles on their faces. They were holding a baby. The child had vibrant green eyes, just like her father, and intense red curly hair, like her mother. The baby was smiling up at her father as her mother held her. I felt tears well up in my eyes as it dawned on me that the child was me. Oh, how I **_longed_** for that memory, to have some sort of memory of my father, _**anything**_. I remembered the way he held me like only a father could while I was in the meadow, and the way he reassured me that everything would be okay.

"Thank you... thank you so much," I said through, my voice shaky. She took the locket from my hands and undid the chain, wrapping it around my head and locking it again, untucking my hair from beneath the silver chain. My mother pulled me in for another hug, this one painfully short. When she pulled away, we both wiped our damp eyes and cheeks, standing from the bed.

"Okay, sweetie, I've got to go. I can't miss my boat!" she exclaimed, moving towards the door.

I stopped her before she left the room and threw my arms around her one last time.

"I love you, mum!" I said into her hair.

"I love you too, Mina," she whispered.

Then she left, closing the door quietly behind her. If I was in a bad mood before, now I just felt depressed. I would miss my mother's company from this large castle.

With no much else left to do, I sat back on my bed and toyed with the locket, the jewellery making me feel warm inside, despite the coldness of the metal.

* * *

**(Arceus' POV)**

Something felt off. There was a feeling in the back of my mind telling me that something bad had happened.

I was sat at the long table in the study with the Creation Trio. They seemed to notice my expression change.

"Arceus?" Dialga questioned.

My frown deepened as I looked for the source of this feeling. My eyes widened when I found the cause. I stood abruptly from the chair, causing Dialga and Palkia to stand too. Giratina remained seated. She, too, knew what had happened and she sighed heavily, closing her eyes and pursing her lips, her head bowed.

"Arceus, what is it?" Palkia asked.

"Something has happened. Something truly horrid has happened," with that, I left the room.

* * *

**(Mina's POV)**

I walked down the corridors towards the exit, so I could get some food from the cafe down in the Pokemon League. There was a strange feeling inside me and it caused me to be restless.

"Mina," I stopped and turned when I heard Arceus' voice. He had a disturbed look on his face that made the friendly smile drop from my lips.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, worried.

"I am so very, very sorry about this… but…" he trailed off and frowned as he looked down at me. The feeling of dread grew in the pit of my stomach.

"What's happened?" I asked quietly.

"Your mother got back to Sandgem town, but they were waiting for her… Mina… she is gone," he said, his voice strained.

I didn't say anything as I absorbed the information. My mother was… gone? Dead? My breathing quickened and my knees grew weak, until eventually, they couldn't hold me up any longer. Before I hit the ground, Arceus caught me and gently lowered me to my knees. I stated at the floor in front of me as silent tears started to fall.

That was it. My entire world came crashing down around me.

"Mina, I am so very sorry about this," Arceus said gently. I looked up into his green eyes and slowly pushed myself to my feet.

Without a word, I walked away in the opposite direction.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! Even more homework and more revision. Sigh. Here you go...**

* * *

(Mina's POV)

I was on the roof of the castle, sat in a ball and staring out at the vast expanse of land around me. There were footsteps behind me, but I didn't bother to turn as the person sat beside me.

"Are you alright?" N. It was N.

I didn't answer him. I found that my will to speak had died along with my mother. The sun was setting, and I had long since stopped crying, since there were simply no more tears left to cry.

"The others are still looking for you. I only came up here because it was something I used to do when I was little, to get away from my… from Ghetsis' scoldings whenever I did something wrong," he said quietly. Even though I didn't want to speak back, I found that the company was nice, and that I could just listen to him talk. It took my mind off things.

"He used to get so angry with me if I did even the slightest thing wrong… I envy you all sometimes, when I see how close you are to each other, I can't help but feel jealous. I think that's what it is anyway... I'm still new to all of this, even after all these years," he sighed. "He once told me that I was warped and defective, but I'll prove him wrong. I'll prove to him that I'm capable of love and emotion. I despise violence, but if it will help protect my friends, then I will fight no matter what. Will you? Will you fight for what you have?" he sighed heavily again before standing up. "We can't let them win. Not now."

With that last comment, he walked away, back down into the castle. The sun was just touching the horizon now and I thought over N's words.

_**We can't let them win. Not now. **_

No. I couldn't let them win. I couldn't live with the guilt of not doing anything while other's died in my place.

Standing up, I made my way inside to find Arceus.

* * *

(Arceus' POV)

There was a tapping on the door of the study.

"Enter," I spoke.

The door opened to reveal Mina. I stood and studied her face. She had been crying, that much was obvious from her tear stained cheeks and red eyes, but there was also a determination in her eyes that stood out. I already guessed what she was here to say.

"Mina, what can I do for you?" I asked.

"Teach me how to use my powers. I will fight for this world and everyone in it," she said. Her determination impressed me, although I was concerned that she was rushing into this.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Positive," she replied, still adamant in her decision.

"Then we will begin immediately."

* * *

(Mina's POV)

The next few hours were spent with Arceus training me hard on how to unlock my powers. I had told him of my attempts to use them when I was trapped in my cell so I had been doing the same thing- trying to find that one part of my mind where they were hidden.

It was well into the night now and we were on the roof, away from any distractions or people.

"Concentrate, Mina, search the depths of your mind," Arceus commanded, circling around me.

I delved deeper in my mind, searching and discovering. I was close, so very, very close. Just a little further… Yes! I had it! I had found it! But how to unlock it?

"You have found it. Well done. You must now find the way to use it," he said.

I prodded and slammed against the mental barrier, each time weakening it. Almost there… I was so close…

**Smash**

The barrier broke, and a surge of energy flowed out and through me. I fell to the floor and tried to hold myself up, but found that Arceus had caught me and was holding me steady. There was a blindingly bright light that seemed to consume me, before everything went dark.

I didn't even know I had fainted.

* * *

(Arceus' POV)

I picked the unconscious girl up in my arms and carried her down into the castle. She had done it. After hours upon hours of practice, she had finally unlocked the power within her. All that was left to do now was teach her how to control that power- which was definitely easier said than done.

I took her down to her room and lay her down on the bed. After checking that she was alright, I left the room and went to tell the Creation Trio of the news. Then I would check on Darkrai to ensure he was healing quickly enough. I would hate to have to leave this region without him, as I knew he would feel both angry and betrayed if I did so.

I found the Crown Dragon Trio in the study, arguing over the usual nonsense.

"Will you three _please_ stop your bickering?" I asked, feeling weary. In my Pokemon form, I didn't need sleep, but being like this meant that I needed at least six hours sleep per day. Less than the average human but just enough to rejuvenate my mind.

"Arceus," they said in unison.

"Mina has agreed to join us. In two days, we will leave for Johto. I can feel that the first battle is close and we must be ready for it when it comes," I stated.

"What of Darkrai?" Dialga questioned.

I paused before answering, disliking what I was about to say.

"If he is not awake by then, we must leave without him," I replied.

Dialga nodded in acceptance while Giratina's infamous rage flashed across her features. Palkia remained silent, though I could see she was pleased with my decision- she had never really liked Darkrai.

"Arceus! You cannot do that! We cannot leave one of our own behind!" Giratina exclaimed.

"If we bring him with us, he may be even more hurt. We cannot risk it," I reasoned. Though I could tell she wanted to say more, she remained quiet.

I then left and made my way down to the Pokemon Centre. Walking into the room where he stayed, I saw the nurse Removing the bandage on Darkrai's head. I walked closer and saw that it was now completely healed, though the man-Pokemon was still unconscious.

The nurse then filled me in on his condition before leaving. Placing one hand on his forehead, I shut my eyes and entered his mind, searching for any evidence of permanent damage. What I found wasn't brilliant, but it was better than I had expected. Darkrai would quite possibly suffer from bad headaches for the rest of his life, but other than that, there was no damage. All that could be done now was wait.

"Darkrai, I know you can hear me, so listen as well as you can. Mina has made her choice. We leave for war in two days. If you are not awake by then, I will have no choice but to leave you here," I said before walking out.

I hoped he would awaken in time.

* * *

(Darkrai's POV)

I listened as well as I could to this voice, this different voice. The owner of this voice was someone I knew held authority and power over me; I knew better than to disobey them.

Two days.

That was all I had.

Once again, I began to claw myself out of the darkness, more frantically this time.

* * *

(Mina's POV)

When I woke, the room was bright with the light of the sun which was now high in the sky. Looking at the time, I was shocked to see that it was almost two o'clock. Leaping out of bed, I rushed into the bathroom to have a shower and change.

Once I was done, I reentered the bedroom and pulled on some shoes. That was when I noticed the shining object on my dresser. The locket. The beautiful silver locket that had been given to me by my mother. My mother who had been murdered.

Then, the events of the previous day hit me like a tonne of bricks. My mother was dead. I had no more family left. I was orphaned. My closest friend was in a coma.

I started to hyperventilate, and tears built up in my eyes. Then the first sob escaped my throat. And then the tears began to fall. Before I knew it, I was curled up on the floor, leaning against my bed, sobbing my heart out.

* * *

(Cheren's POV)

I walked along the corridor towards Mina's room, after being forced by the others to ask if she wanted to join is for breakfast. I frowned when I heard something. It sounded like… crying? Speeding up, I soon reached Mina's door. The sobs were coming from the inside. I knocked gently.

No answer.

"Mina?" I called out.

Again, no answer, just more sobbing.

"Mina?" I called again. I was growing more and more concerned for my friend now.

Nothing, just crying.

"Mina, answer me!" I demanded.

Nothing.

I opened the door and found her on the floor, leaning against her bed with her face buried in her knees. I slowly walked over, stopping to crouch beside her.

"Mina?" I said gently. She slowly lifted her head to look at me. Her eyes were red and there were dark circles beneath them. I wondered just how much sleep she got.

"Ch-Cheren… she-she's dead. They killed her... They murdered her..." she whispered, her voice broken. A feeling of dread crept into my mind then.

"Mina… who?" I asked, feeling bad by pressing her to talk about such a painful thing.

"My mother!" she cried even harder then as my lips parted in shock. Mina's mother was dead? Murdered? By who? That's when it hit me. Of course. Team Plasma, Rocket and Galactic.

Anger welled up inside me, but the sight of the broken girl in front of me made it die down. I sat beside her, leaning against the bed, and put one arm on her shoulders, not sure of what else to do other than be a good friend.

* * *

(Arceus' POV)

It had been a day since Mina awoke. Her friend, Cheren, had told me that she had been too upset to leave her room ever since. I had visited her once, but that was all it took for me to tell that she was in no state to train. She hadn't even looked up when I entered the room.

I had asked the boy, Cheren, to keep an eye on her and tell me if anything changed, but alas, nothing did. Now, if Mina wasn't ready by dawn, we would have to leave without her the next day.

Walking down the corridor, I spotted Giratina walking at a somewhat hasted pace. Stopping her, I noticed that she seemed a little… flustered, if you could ever use such a word for the Renegade Pokemon.

"What is the matter?" I asked.

"They have invaded Johto. I was just on my way to find you. We need to leave now," she said. My eyes widened a hair, and I nodded.

"You go to Darkrai and check if he is close to waking up, I will find the others and tell them to prepare. Then I must go to Mina," I stated.

"Do you think she will be able to do this? She is in a bad state," Giratina noted. I sighed.

"We must try. We can only hope she is willing," I replied in a sullen tone.

I left Giratina and rushed to find everyone.

I wanted to pray that Mina would join us, but who is there for a god to pray to? All I could do was hope.

* * *

(Mina's POV)

It was over two hours after I heard Arceus enter the room and leave again when I heard him return again. Like before, I didn't bother to look up.

"Mina, they have invaded Johto," he said.

My breath caught in my throat. They had already invaded Johto? I was told they weren't going to invade for another week and a half!

My head snapped around to the alpha Pokemon.

"What can I do about it? I'm just one girl," I said quietly.

"You are more than just any girl, Mina, and you know it. Where is the determined young woman I trained to unlock her powers just last night? Where is she? The world needs a hero now, and that hero must be you," he stated in a matter of fact tone. It was the first time I had heard him speak in such a tone to me as opposed to his usual benevolence.

"Why can't you do it? You're so much stronger than I am, you've got nothing to be scared of," my voice came out as a broken whisper.

The alpha Pokemon sighed and made his way over. He knelt on the floor before the bed and looked up at me with sad green eyes.

"I will do it if you find yourself unable to, but it is almost a certainty that I will fail. If I die… the Legendaries will become mortal and there will be none left. You are our only hope, Mina Euphoria, only you can safe us from our doom," he said every word with meaning and devotion.

"I-I'm scared…" I admitted, hanging my head in shame. There I was, in front of the very being who created life and the Earth, and when he needed me- when the entire _world_ needed me- I was scared.

"You have every right to be afraid, but I promise you this: I and every other Legendary will do everything in our power to help you," he said earnestly. I nodded and stood from the bed.

Arceus smiled sadly down at me and told me to accompany him outside of the Pokemon League, where the Legendaries, Elite Four, Champion and my friends would be waiting.

I grabbed my bag and father's jacket before following him down.

"What about Darkrai? Is he awake?" I asked, not wanting to leave without my friend.

"I am afraid I do not know. I sent Giratina to check on his condition before coming to see you," Arceus sighed.

I nodded but didn't say anything else on the matter, knowing it would only make me feel even more depressed.

By the time we reached the gates of the Pokemon League, everyone was already there, standing like a small battalion. Everyone except Darkrai.

My heart sunk at the prospect of going to Johto without Darkrai, but I put on a brave face and walked over to my friends.

"Hey, you okay?" Bianca asked, her eyes full of worry.

"I'm fine," I said curtly, feeling a little guilty at the sharpness of my tone.

They didn't say anything else because Arceus began to speak to everyone.

"No one move from where you stand now, and close your eyes. This shall be unpleasant for all humans here…" with that, there was a flash of bright light, and Arceus teleported us to our destination.

Whirl Islands.

* * *

(Darkrai's POV)

Bright light. Blindingly bright light.

I didn't know how long I had been in the darkness or even how long I had been clawing my way out of it, all I knew was that I was free.

I needed to make sure it wasn't dawn yet, that I hadn't been left here while Mina and the Legendaries went to Johto.

I pulled myself off the bed and rushed out of the room. A nurse tried to stop me, but I ignored her. My body had completely healed now and I felt fine.

I ran out of the building and looked around. It was completely deserted.

"No… Mina… Mina…" I repeated as I stood on the spot.

Opening a shadow, I rushed into it and made my way to Johto.

I had to find her, I had to know she was alright.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I'm so sorry. I mean, it's been what? A month? longer? Yeah, the only excuse I have is the revision I've been doing for my exams and the writer's block I've had. Luckily, I have ideas for the chapters ahead. I estimate there will be no more than 30 chapters to this story. I may write a sequel, but I am debating whether or not to just add it onto the end of this story, you know, like a 'Part 1' and 'Part 2'? So I'd like to know your thoughts on that, because the way the last chapter is written, it would definitely need a sequel or a Part 2, but I don't have many ideas for a whole other story. So, what do you think? Two stories or one extra long story? Please tell me what you want!

* * *

Whirl Islands was crowded at the moment to say the least. The underground caverns housed the people who had come with us and Lugia was irritated beyond belief. Suffice to say that he retreated to the deepest part of the cavern a little while after we arrived. Any other time, I would have found the man-pokemon's attitude hilarious, but not now.

I was sat on a small rock in one of many underground lakes beneath the islands with my friends. I noticed how Pokemon in the water approached me and studied me closely before swimming away again. After the sixth time this happened, my friends seemed to notice the strange behaviour of the Pokemon and inquired me about it.

"I don't know what's causing them to do that… it's strange…" I told them. For the most part, I remained silent, not really in the mood to talk.

"Hey, Mina, Arceus said you've unlocked your powers? That's great!" Barry said, attempting to lift the mood.

I didn't say anything in reply, I just stared out at the lake which seemed to glow with its own light, illuminating the cavern. After a while, they gave up on trying to get me to talk. The water type Pokemon continued to approach me, and after a while I grew tired of the cave and decided for a change of scenery.

"Does anyone have a water type I can use together over to the other side please?" I asked, standing and walking over to them.

Bianca lent me her Samurott and I used it to get to the other side of the lake before thanking it and sending it back. I walked out of the cavern and onto the beach. It was now nighttime and the sky was filled with stars. The tide had come in so I couldn't walk that far out onto the beach without getting my feet wet do I instead decided to climb to the top of the small hill that was the formation of the island.  
It took a while, but I enentually reached the top and say down on the rock, staring on at the horizon. I could barely make out the dark outline of the mainland and the bright lights of Olivine City. I felt so alone… it had been hears since I'd felt so lonely. I wanted my mother back… I wanted her back so much… Before I knew it, I was crying quietly to myself. there was a cool breeze and I shivered, curling up into a ball as I wept.

"Mina," a soft voice said. I stopped sobbing, though the tears still fell. That voice… I didn't think I'd ever hear it again.  
Slowly, I uncurled myself and looked up into those ice blue eyes.

"Darkrai?" I breathed, not believing it. He crouched down in front of me so our eyes were level. I jumped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck in a bone crushing hug. He fell backwards onto the hard surface of the rock before wrapping his own arms around me.

"Darkrai! You're okay… thank Arceus you're okay…" I cried.

"Yes… yes I'm okay," he replied, slowly bringing me into a sitting position beside him. "Why were you crying?"

At the mention of this, the tears fell even more and I bit my lip. Darkrai didn't know about my mother and I didn't know if I could say it.

"Darkrai… Mum… she... they… Team Galactic, they… killed her," I tried to swallow down my sobs as more hot tears rolled down my cheeks. Darkrai's soft gaze turned murderous, and the shadows cast on the floor from our bodies started to swish and swirl violently. My mother and Darkrai had been good friends (though it had taken them a while to get used to each other) and I knew it was a blow to him too. Darkrai said nothing, he just pulled me close to his chest as I began to cry fully once more.

Hours later, just like I had done so many times in the past, I fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

**(Darkrai's POV)**  
After a while, Mina's quiet sobs subsided and she fell asleep in my arms. I picked her up and stood before carefully making my way down from the top of the island. So Helena was dead. It grieved me that she had to be pulled into this mess, evem more so that she suffered for it. She had always been so kind to me, never prejudiced about me for what I was or what I could do. Over time, we had become friends, brought together by our mutual care for Mina. To know that these monsters, who had just recently tortured Mina, had killed her made my cold blood boil.

I entered the island and took her through a shadow to where her friends were sleeping deep underground. Ethan snored? Rather loudly too. I saw Cheren sat up and glaring at the boy in annoyance as he leaned back against a rock. I smirked and walked over to a space where I placed Mina down against a rock. Only then did Cheren notice me, almost jumping out of his skin.

"Darkrai? How are you feeling?" he asked in a hushed tone so as not to wake the others.

"Well enough, thank you. Mina told me about what happened. Has anyone else been targeted?" I asked.

"No… not that we know of," he replied quietly. I nodded and sat down beside Mina. There was silence after that- well, as silent as it could get with Ethan making noises like a chainsaw. I glanced at the sleeping boy in irritation and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to put him in the Dark Void. Cheren must have gotten tired of it too as he stood from his place and made his way over to Ethan before kicking him in the back- none too gently either. Ethan didn't wake up, but he stopped snoring and rolled over. Cheren rolled his eyes and sat back in his place.

"How is she?" he asked me, nodding his head to Mina.

"Upset, as is expected. She fell asleep crying," I sighed. Out of all Mina's friends, I liked Cheren the most. It was probably his intellect and loyalty to his friends that made me prefer him to the others, but all I really cared about was that he was there for Mina if I couldn't be.

"I love Mina like a sister- the same with the others too. We're like a family, you included, Darkrai. A pretty big, dysfunctional family... but still a family. Other than us, the only one Mina has left is you. And I've seen how you look at her. It's like how Hilda looks at N," Cheren turned his head towards me, and I saw the small smile on his lips. What was he getting at? That I held romantic feelings for Mina? That was impossible... wasn't it?

I mentally cursed myself for thinking otherwise. Of _course_ it was impossible! I was a Pokemon, Mina was a human. An almost Pokemon human, but still human. But what if maybe, just maybe, it was possible? Would I act on it? I pondered over my close relationship with Mina.

I had known her for years, and she had been the closest friend I had ever had. I would risk my life for her, I would die for her. I couldn't bear to see her hurt or in pain. Mina had always been there for me, before and after the new moon every month, even knowing what I was and what I could do. No matter how much I had tried to push her away as a child, she always clung to me, claiming that I wasn't the monster I made myself out to be. After a while, she even convinced me of that. She made me feel whole, she made me feel... feel at peace. That was something that only two other people in history had ever accomplished, and even they had withered away with time. Mina... while Arceus wasn't sure, he said that her life span would probably be longer than that of a regular human, possibly even as long as a Legendary. It was incredibly selfish of me to wish for her to live forever, since I hated my own immortality. No... no, I didn't wish for her to be immortal, because I would not wish it upon even the most evil of creatures to remain young while their loved ones grew old and died. It was more like I wished I could live alongside her until the end of her days... that wasn't romantic, was it?

**_'You're starting to sound like Mesprit, you sentimental fool!'_** I berated myself.

But... maybe that wasn't so bad. Maybe Mina would be the one to finally melt the ice of my heart. Maybe, once this was all over, there could be something...

No.

I couldn't let myself think like that. Not with everything that was going on, not when there was a chance that one of us might not make it out alive. No. I pushed the thoughts out of my head when I realised Cheren had begun to talk again.

"-scared about what's to come..." the boy sighed. "I can't bear to think that one of us might not make it, especially after everything we've been through together. I can't help but think... what would happen to us if one of us did die? Mina's the one who's going to have to take the brunt force of this whole situation, but if anything happened to her, if she died... Darkrai, I'm terrified that she won't make it out alive, or at least not whole."

I sighed, shoulders slumping as I looked at the sleeping redhead. "I'm afraid of that too."

* * *

**(Mina's POV)**  
The sound of rustling woke me up. I opened my eyes to be met with almost complete darkness. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but after a few moments, I could use the glow of the underground lakes to see. Cheren, N and Lyra were awake and chatting. I pushed myself upright and noticed that my head had been resting on Darkrai's shoulder. I looked up at his face and found that he was sleeping. I smiled at the sight and how innocent and peaceful he seemed. I didn't bother going over to the others I case the movement woke Darkrai. I simply rested my head back on his shoulder and closed my eyes again.

It wasn't long since I fell back asleep again.

The second time I awoke was from my shoulder being lightly shaken. I blinked a few times to readjust to the darkness of the cavern but found myself staring into ice blue eyes. I pushed myself up and smiled at Darkrai.

"Hi, is everything alright?" I asked huskily.

"We need to leave. Mt. Silver has been overrun and they're moving through Victory Road towards the Indigo Plateau," he said, his tone urgent. I bolted up and grabbed my bag before running beside Darkrai.

"Okay, I'm ready. Are the others already gone? Where is everyone?" I asked, looking around.

"They have already left. I told them I would bring you to them when you awoke. That was about an hour ago," he said. My eyes bulged.

"Darkrai! You should've woke me! I've overslept way too much!" I exclaimed.

"Mina, we are going into battle. You are no good to anyone half alive," he sighed.

"Whatever, just take me to the others. Where are they now?" I asked.

"They are about to reach the Indigo Plateau where they shall wait for the army to come," he stated.

"Hasn't Arceus teleported them there?" I asked.

"No. They are using Pokemon to fly there and to gather any extra trainers from the cities on the way. Arceus needs his full power for battle," Darkrai explained.

I swallowed down my fear and nodded. I stood next to Darkrai and he took my waist, pulling me through a shadow. A moment later, we appeared in front of a beautiful old building.

Indigo Plateau.

And, oh, it was beautiful! I gazed up at the large, almost ancient looking, building and its intricately chiselled stone walls before turning in the opposite direction when I heard a noise. I frowned and took a step forward. In the distance, I could see the entrance to Victory Road. Squinting, I noticed a person… a group of people… even more people… They filed out of the underground road one by one before forming together in rows of twenties. Then I saw the clothes they wore.

They were dressed in plain, black uniforms with chain mail over the top- almost like medieval knights. The women had hair that reached their chins while the men had hair that was cut in a bowl fashion. Each one of them had six Pokeballs strapped to their waists.

Where was Arceus and the others? Darkrai and I were the only ones here! Even the Pokemon League seemed abandoned! Where was Lance and the Elite Four? I took several steps back until I was next to Darkrai, my breathing quick with the panic that grew inside me.

"Get behind me," Darkrai ordered. I shook my head. As terrified as I was, I wasn't about to let his face these people alone- not after what they had already done to him.

"No. If we do this, we do it together," I insisted.

I saw one corner of his mouth pull up in a grim smile as he clawed his hands in preparation for an attack. I needed a weapon… something I could use to protect myself since I still had no idea how to use my powers. I saw nothing of use around me. Looking closely at the oncoming soldiers, I spotted guns and knives strapped to their waists.

"Oh… shit, shit, shit…" I groaned. This just kept getting better and better.

"They have weapons. I think it is time for you to put those summer self defence classes to good use, don't you think?" Darkrai asked with a smirk.

Over the past few of years I had taken many martial arts and self defence classes in the summer holidays, so if I was lucky I may be able to disarm one of the soldiers and use their weapons to defend myself.

"Let's just hope they've paid off," I retorted. He chuckled darkly.

The army stopped about fifty wards away from us. Three people stepped forward from the group. I paled slightly at the sight of my former torturers.

"Well, well, you're both alive," Ghetsis chuckled. I scowled at him.

"Indeed. I have to say, Mina, after suffering to the extent in which you did and preparing to take on an entire army with only one other… I am torn between deciding if you are brave or stupid," Giovanni grinned evilly.

"Yeah, well, I'm still alive, and you soon won't be, so let's just cut the crap get on with it," I said, hating how the panic edged its way into my voice.

"Still feisty too. Such a pleasure to know we haven't broken your spirit- it will make destroying you so much more fun," Ghetsis smirked.

"You will be dead before you so much as lay a finger on her," Darkrai threatened, his tone dark and malicious. Ghetsis let out a bark of laughter, one of the few things that would betray his usual composed demeanour for his true, controlling side of insanity.

"And Darkrai! We can't be forgetting about you now, can we? I thought our monster had finished you off. Ah well… I'm sure it's dying to see you again," with that remark, Giovanni's face twisted into an evil grin and he turned to face Victory Road.

Then there was a deafening roar and the ground shook. I threw my arms out to keep my balance and shot a frightened glance in Darkrai's direction. His jaw clenched and he poised himself in an almost animalistic position, ready to kill anything that came near him.

Then the monster appeared.

It had an appearance that seemed to share Arceus' Pokemon form. It was almost identical, other than the fact that rather than white, grey and gold, it was black, dark grey and silver. Oh, and it was big. Very big. At least three times as big as Arceus in his Pokemon form. Its emerald eyes fixed on me. I swallowed and stood straighter and it took a step forward, snarling.

**_'I can't do this. i can't kill that thing,'_** I panicked in my mind and my breathing quickened.

"Kill them!" Cyrus ordered, speaking for the first time.

The Pokemon roared in response before doing something that surprised both myself and Darkrai. It spoke with the same telepathic ability as any other Legendary.

**_'Yes, master,'_** it- no he said with a sick tone of pleasure.

He took thunderous steps forward towards us. His eyes flickered between myself and Darkrai now, clearly trying to decide which one to kill first. Eventually, the monster decided on me. He snarled once more before charging for me. I barely had time to dodge out of the way before the creature slammed into the building of the Pokemon League, causing the entire structure to shake. Surprisingly, it didn't even crack the ancient stone.

"Darkrai! Run!" I screamed to him from across the field.

Ignoring me, he ran towards the monster, unleashing a Dark Pulse towards the creature.

"No!" I screamed as the monster turned to him, looking royally pissed at the Nightmare King.

"Here! Come and get me!" Darkrai snarled, an orb of shadows forming in each of his hands.

The monster growled deep on its chest but nevertheless went for the pitch black Pokemon.

"Darkrai, don't!" I protested, hating how he was putting himself in danger for me.

"Kill the girl first! She cannot be allowed to live!" Ghetsis ordered. The monster turned his back on Darkrai and faced me.

Giovanni then ordered his army, "Kill Darkrai! Don't let him interfere!"

The soldiers then unleashed their Pokemon and charged for Darkrai.

"No! Darkrai, get out of he-" I was cut off by a blast throwing me backwards.

The creature had used what seemed to be a Hyper Beam in me and it had flung me into the wall of Victory Road. I fell to the floor like a rag doll and groaned. I coughed and clutched my chest. I was sure my ribs had broke again. Gasping, I got to my feet. The monster was close. I pressed myself against the wall and frantically looked for an escape. I saw none. I looked up into the blazing green eyes of the monster.

_**'Powers. Use them. Oh Arceus, why can't I use them? I'm going to die,'**_ I screamed in my head.

The Pokemon lowered its gigantic head until it was right in front of me as it growled.

**_'Mm... I will play with my food for a while, I think,'_** he stated before using one of its clawed feet to bat me to the side. I screamed as my ribs erupted in burning pain. Before I could even get up, the creature was over me again.

**_'Arceus, where are you?' _**

The monster kicked me again, flinging me near the edge of a cliff. I gasped for air and felt my lips wet. Bringing my hand to wipe them, I saw that they were covered in blood. Once more, the monster was over me, and it flipped me onto my back.

**_'I will eat you limb by limb no, god-human,'_** it stated.

_**'Mina, you're going to die if you don't figure out how to use your powers now! Damn it. Too late,'**_ the annoying voice at the back of my mind said.

I closed my eyes, preparing for pain, when I heard the beast roar and the alarmed cries of many different soldiers. I opened my eyes a crack and saw none other than Arceus standing in front of me, placing himself in between the monster and I.

He had one arm stretched out in front of him and the other stretched out to his side, where the soldiers were holding off Darkrai. He seemed to be holding up some sort of invisible barrier between the monster and I, also doing the same for Darkrai and the soldiers.

"Retreat! Everyone back to base!" Giovanni's voice echoed out.

The edges of my vision began to turn black and I struggled to remain conscious.

I heard alarmed cries as the monster roared before leaping away, back into Victory Road. It was another few minutes before I heard footsteps by my head. I struggled to focus my eyes on the people who had kneeled down beside me, but I could do so long enough to see that Arceus was on my left side and Darkrai was on my right.

"She has broken three of her ribs and hit her head, but other than that she should be fine," Arceus declared. I sure as hell didn't feel fine.

"Will she be okay?" I heard Dawn's voice from a little way off.

"Do not worry, she is strong," Arceus replied.

"She can stay in the Pokemon centre inside so she can recover. There are plenty of beds and resources for any injured," someone said… I remembered the voice as Lance's. I could just make out Arceus nodding before I fell unconscious.

* * *

**(Darkrai's POV)**  
I picked Mina up and brought her inside to the Pokemon Centre. The Nurse Joy rushed over and led us to a room where there was several beds. I lay her down on one of them and watched closely as the nurse and her Chancey got to work.

Some time later, when Mina had been bandaged up and given morphine, Arceus came in.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Stable," was all I said, my eyes fixed on Mina.

I saw him nod slowly out of the corner of my eye. I turned to face him.

"She can't do this Arceus," I said. There had to be another way.

Arceus met my gaze with solemn eyes, slowly shaking his head. His next sentence brought my more pain than I ever thought was possible from so few words.

"She must."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: So sorry! Here it is though. Finally. After almost a month. Again. Sorry... Anyway, the summer holidays are here! Huzzah! I want to know if there are any pairings you want in this story? There's already Darkrai/Mina and Hilda/N but I want to know if there are any others you want to see? The next chapter is rather lighthearted, you see, and it includes a very well known game... virtual high-five to whoever guesses the game!**

* * *

Ever since I had awoken in the Pokemon Centre of the Indigo Plateau, I had felt this continuous nagging in my mind that told me that I simply wasn't good enough. That was three weeks ago.

On the third day of staying at the Indigo Plateau (Arceus, Darkrai, Mew, the Creation Trio and several League members had been staying there as they planned their next battle strategy) the psychic Elitist of Unova, Caitlin, had come to me. She had sympathised with me, as she had once been a Frontier Brain in Sinnoh and had extremely powerful psychic abilities that were difficult to control.

Caitlin had offered to help me control my abilities and I had agreed. In addition to this, I had Maylene, from Veilstone, and the Legendary Virizion teaching me martial arts and defence.

All in all, I was exhausted- both mentally and physically. I wouldn't give up though. That was the one thing I refused to do.

I was outside the League on the freshly cut grass with Caitlin, me eyes closed as the psychic trainer guided me through my meditation. I tried to focus on the sounds and feelings around me; the grass, the sun behind my eyelids, the cool breeze that signaled the coming of autumn.

"You need to lose yourself, Mina. Allow your mind to take you into the land that dreams are made of," Caitlin's soft voice called from my right.

**_'The land that dreams are made of. I don't know the difference between dreams and nightmares anymore,' _**I thought bitterly. Unfortunately, the thought broke my concentration. Caitlin noticed this and sighed.

"I understand this is difficult, Mina, but you have made so much progress. It would be a shame is it were to go to waste now," the blonde said.

I opened my eyes, squinting in the sunlight. She was right, I had made a lot of progress since I first started. I was able to summon small spheres of energy in my hands and fire them at things. Though they were small, they were extremely powerful (as I had discovered by accidentally letting on loose and watching in surprise as it hit a tree, causing it to collapse. Apparently it was a two hundred year old oak tree. Oops).

As exhausted as I was, there was no way I could give up now. Caitlin then stood from the grass, her soft pink dress fluttering in the wind. She offered me a hand up, which I accepted.

"It doesn't matter for today, I suppose. Go to your combat lessons. Maylene told me to inform you that she had gone back to Sinnoh to visit her grandfather before he passes on, so it will probably just be Virizion with you today," she said. I smiled and thanked her before heading inside the stone building.

My lessons with Virizion were always in the Champions room of the League, so there were often people watching. Lance, the Johto Champion, was always friendly and gave words of encouragement. The same went for the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia. Any other spectators usually consisted of the Legendaries and my friends. Darkrai was always there, watching my moves carefully, and Arceus often came along too. Mew came for the first week, but in the end she had been banned from watching by Virizion, who got tired of her constant cheering from the stands. As hilarious and adorable as it was, it was rather distracting too, so I had thought it for the best that she didn't come along any more.

According to Virizion, I had made excellent progress, so for the past couple of lessons, I had been fighting against her. She was incredibly skilled (not that I expected any less from the fighting type Pokemon) and she had always defeated me. Last lesson, however, Virizion had told me that she would be finding another sparring partner for me. When I had asked why she had told me that she didn't like using her powers while in human form, and so she would find someone who could challenge me in that area.

I reached Lance's room quickly enough, and I knocked before entering. As always, Virizion stood in the centre of the large battlefield. She was an extremely beautiful woman, but this had long since stopped surprising me as every Legendary in their human form looked like a supermodel. She had green hair cut into a bob with pink bangs. Her build was athletic, and she had tanned skin. She wore a long-sleeved green T-shirt and white leggings. Her feet were bare, which used to puzzle me, but I had gotten used to it.

"Good morning, mina," Virizion greeted.

"Good morning," I replied, smiling. Looking around I saw Arceus, Darkrai, Dialga, Palkia, the Lake Trio, my friends, Lance, and Cynthia sat close to the edge. Why were so many here? As I examined their faces, I saw that each one of them wore a concerned frown on their faces. It put me on edge slightly as I walked over to Virizion. The said Legendary seemed very tense, which did nothing to soothe my nerves.

"Mina, your opponent for today has been chosen," Virizion stated, her voice clearly conveying her displeasure, though at what , I didn't know.

"Try not to sound so pleased, Virizion," a very familiar voice said. My stomach dropped as I turned around to face the newcomer.

Giratina. She smiled at me, but it was bot the usual, sardonic smirk- this was a vicious, malevolent curve of her blood red lips. I had to suppress a shiver as her red eyes met mine, practically glowing with excitement.

"Shall we?" She asked, gesturing towards the battlefield. Apprehension growing inside of me, I followed her to the open space. She took her position on one side and I on the other.

"In this session, there will be no relenting from either side. Mina, you must now combine everything you have learnt from both lessons to defeat your opponent," Virizion said from the side.

**_'No relenting. I'm going to die...'_**

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Remember what I told you, Giratina," Arceus warned from the side, his voice stern.

"Your lack of faith in me is hurtful," Giratina mocked.

"Begin!" Virizion shouted.

Giratina instantly ran for me, but I held my ground. Just as she was a couple of metres away from me, I sprang upwards, flipping over her head. Giratina laughed- a sound that was twice as terrifying as her normal, dark chuckle.

"Well, this could be interesting after all!" She exclaimed, an almost childlike excitement in her voice.

The Renegade conjured a Shadow Ball and fired it at me, but I met it halfway with my own sphere of energy. As they collided, a cloud of dust encompassed us, hiding Giratina from my sight. I slowed m breathing as I listened for my foe, not wanting to be caught by surprise. Then, just in time, I ducked to the right as a glowing, clawed hand slashed at me.

As the dust cleared, I saw that it was indeed Giratina, and that she had used Dragon Claw. It looked quite intimidating in her human form, actually, as her nails had grown several inches and were lethally sharp, curved into a deadly point on each end.

"Come on, Mina, don't keep me waiting," Giratina taunted. I refused to fall for the taunt, though, and remained ever watchful of her moves. Giratina's deadly smirk widened into that foreboding smile again and she said, "Clever girl."

Had I blinked, I would have missed it. Giratina's entire body flickered, as though it was some sort of hologram, before completely disappearing. Once more, I held my breath, silently listening for Giratina to appear. There was then a _whooshing_ sound behind me, and before I could turn, there was a sharp pain in my back. I winced and stumbled forward, ending up on the floor. My vision blurred for a moment and my head spun.

**_'What in the name of the Legendaries was that?'_**

"Getting tired, dear?" Giratina's voice sounded from a little ways to my left, her tone sickeningly sweet and so obviously condescending.

**_'She's just trying to rile you up,' _**I thought. I smirked. **_'Well, two can play at that game.'_**

"Not at all, _dear_," I said, pulling myself up. I tried to hide the unease I felt at the burning joy in Giratina's eyes. The said Legendary grinned.

"Good, because we're just getting started."

* * *

(Arceus' POV)

It had been over two hours since the fight had begun, and we all grew more and more tense by the minute. Mina looked exhausted, but Giratina showed no signs of slowing down. this wasn't the worst that the Renegade could do. No, I had seen that first hand- I had fought against her worst- but each attack was as planned out and vicious as the last.

"She keeps tripping..." Darkrai's troubled voice sounded from beside me. He had been furious when I had told him who Mina would be up against- the shadows around us hadn't stopped swirling since. Looking at Mina, I saw that he was right. Exhaustion was starting to take its toll on the girl and every now and again it would cause her to trip or make her movements slower.

"I know..." I sighed. Mina's friends sat next to Darkrai, watching the battle with tense apprehension. There had been a bit of a dispute earlier over whether or not it was safe to let Mina spar with Giratina, whose reputation got the better of her, but after my final word, they reluctantly agreed.

"This is getting out of hand, Arceus," Palkia said from my other side, where she sat beside Dialga. At least they were being civil for now.

I remained silent, examining the battle below. Giratina was enjoying this, dangerously so, and I feared she would get carried away and seriously harm mina. I remembered my conversation with the Renegade from earlier...

**-Flashback-**

Giratina laughed. It was a cold, harsh sound that was mirthless and cruel. And it was directed at me.

I stood impassively, not letting my anger flare, for I knew the Renegade would enjoy that far too much.

"You would ask for my help?" Giratina chuckled darkly. "How desperate are you, Arceus?"

"More than you will ever know," I said quietly.

"Interesting, however, I will have to decline," she cocked her head to the side, her glowing eyes wide with mock innocence. Giratina was not evil as most believed, but she was incapable of innocence.

"And why is that?" I calmly asked.

"Because you forbade me from ever harming a human, remember?" The innocent act dropped and she looked me dead in the eye, a dangerous glint to the red.

"Do not forget _why_ I forbade you," I said, my patience thinning.

"Oh, but I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing! How could I ever forget how I was betrayed and deceived?" Her voice conveyed thinly veiled fury, and I knew we were treading dangerous waters now.

"There was no need for such wanton death and destruction. Had you come to me, I-"

"You would have what? Banished Palkia to _her_ own realm? Of course you wouldn't. Not even for a century or two, because you love your Creation Duo too much, almost as much as you love your humans," she snarled. My anger finally flared then, and I snarled at the Renegade.

"Know your place, Giratina! Nothing justifies so much death!" I shouted. Giratina cackled madly.

"There it is! There is that magnificent _rage_ of yours! You see? You may have created me to be the personification of evil and darkness, but that same darkness is within you also, no matter how _benevolent_ you pretend to be," her words cut like daggers into my heart and soul, but no matter how much I wanted to deny it, I couldn't, because it was _true_.

My mind couldn't register that then, and my more Pokemon-like instincts took over. In a fit of rage, I snarled and pinned Giratina to the nearest wall, making a crack in the cold marble behind her. My fingers dug into her shoulders as I glowered down at her. The top of her head just came up to my chin, and I was around six foot seven inches in human height, so the normally imposing Legendary seemed almost vulnerable as I looked down at her, but then I remembered who it was, and discarded any second thoughts. Giratina was, by no means, vulnerable.

"Yes... there it is..." she looked almost wistful for a moment, looking at my face with an almost- _almost_- innocent curiosity. This look was gone as soon as it came, and Giratina was once again glaring up at me with malevolent red eyes and a smirk on her blood coloured lips. "You are a hypocrite, Arceus, because at the end of the day, you are no better than I."

I was silent for a moment, contemplating her words, her _true_ words. I snarled at her.

"Listen well, Renegade, for I shall not repeat myself. You will come today, and you will spar with Mina. But should you get carried away, I _will_ kill you myself," I warned, my voice low.

Without another word, I left the room.

**-End flashback-**

My argument with her had left me feeling incredibly tired, but I had to attend to ensure Giratina didn't harm Mina.

**_'She spoke the truth though. I created her to be my opposite when in all actuality we are almost the same,' _**I thought.

I brought my attention back to the battle just in time to see Giratina perform another Shadow Force attack. Mina was knocked to the ground by the sheer power of the attack, and struggled to get back up again. I stood and made my way to the edge of the field, feeling the eyes of everyone behind on me.

"Giratina, that is enough," I said, my tone authoritative. She stopped herself mid-attack, the extended nails of the Dragon Claw attack losing their blue glow and returning to normal length. Her next actions puzzled me, as she stood up straight, hands behind her back, face impassive, and then bowed to me before turning and leaving. It troubled me more than I cared to admit, but I buried the feeling as I turned to Mina.

She had dark rings under her eyes, and I wondered just how much sleep she had been getting recently. Other than the exhaustion evident on her feet and in the heavy movements of her limbs, she seemed unharmed. I gestured for her to walk with me, and together we left the Champion's room.

"You did well,' I said, smiling slightly.

"I kept losing..." she replied. I shook my head.

"Giratina is as strong a fighter as myself, and sometimes even I have difficulties fighting against her. I did not expect you to defeat her," I said. She smiled and looked down at the ground.

"I guess so..." she trailed off quietly. I sighed. Mina was always putting herself down, no matter how much I or anyone else told her how well she was doing. She hadn't been the same since I told her the news of her mother's death. While I still had confidence in her abilities, it was saddening to see the vibrant, joyful girl I had met when she was thirteen had been dimmed into this quiet, reserved young woman.

"How are you finding your lessons?" I asked.

"Interesting. They're hard, but I've made progress since coming here," she said, then winced. "Though after that lesson I can see I still have a _long_ way to go yet."

"Mina, you did well just now. I needed to see how far you could push yourself today, and I now know how well you can handle yourself in a fight. Giratina is a formidable opponent; very few can hold their own against her for that long," I said truthfully. Giratina was the most dangerous opponent I had ever faced in all my years. Her moves were deadly, her mind razor sharp, and her words like liquid silver. She used her silver tongue to lie and deceive, and she was as intelligent as myself and Uxie. I would much rather have her as my ally than my enemy, though sometimes the former was just as risky as the latter.

Beside me, Mina sighed. She was silent for a minute, seeming to think over my words, and then she spoke.

"Thank you," she said. I smiled and nodded. By then we were in front of her door, so I bade her farewell and left her to her own devices.

I turned and looked down the hallway, smiling. "You can come out now, Darkrai."

There was a short pause before the nightmare Pokemon materialized out of the shadows. My smile grew and I walked in the other direction, gesturing with my hand for him to follow. His quiet footfalls fell into place beside mine, and we walked together in silence for a minute.

"I apologise for following you... I wanted to make sure she was alright," Darkrai told me.

"It's quite alright, Darkrai. I can understand your concern. I will not keep you for long, but I have a request of you," I said, stopping and turning to face him. We stood eye to eye, both about the same height.

"Anything," he said.

"I will not ask Giratina to battle with Mina again- not for a long time, anyway- but she has surpassed Virizion's level of expertise. If you are willing, I would have you spar with her for a few days," I suggested.

"Of course. Honestly, I am more comfortable with that than having to sit on the sidelines and watch," he admitted. I nodded.

"Thank you, Darkrai. I will leave you now to go to Mina," I cast him a knowing glance before turning and walking away. I hid a smile at the surprise and confusion I felt radiating off him.


End file.
